§ 58. Mr. Patrick ThompsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what further steps his Department has taken to ensure that the maximum possible number of civilian National Health Service patients are admitted to service hospitals.
§ Mr. FreemanMy hon. Friend, is, I am sure, referring to the national financial arrangement between the MOD and DHSS which I announced in my answer to my right hon. Friend the Member for Scarborough (Sir M. Shaw) on 30 March 1988 at column465. The Ministry of Defence will continue to treat NHS patients up to a baseline, which broadly equates to the defence training requirement, as a charge to the defence votes. Any spare capacity above that baseline will be offered to health authorities, on a marginal cost basis, to relieve their waiting lists and maximise the number of NHS patients treated in service hospitals. The MOD and DHSS are actively developing a plan of implementation to ensure that the health authorities and general practitioners are aware of what facilities the service hospitals have to offer. Progress in implementing these new arrangements at local level will be monitored by both Departments.