§ 74. Mr. SpearingTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what consideration has been given and what evidence was received by his Department, concerning the preference of patients in deciding between speed and location of non-emergency treatments at hospitals consequent on the adoption of his recent proposals.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeThe Government's policy is to provide for a more effective choice for individual patients and their GPs when they decide where non-emergency treatment should be sought. The proposals in the White Paper "Working for Patients" will allow NHS funds to follow patients across administrative boundaries where GPs and their patients choose treatment elsewhere because, for example, a shorter waiting time is on offer.