§ Ms. HarmanTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what evidence he has of the cost-effectiveness of annual monitoring of the over 75-year-olds.
§ Mr. FreemanWe do not have any precise evidence linking the annual monitoring of people aged over 75 years to outcome costs. We have been happy to accept the advice we have received from a large number of doctors, and other health workers, that a better service can be offered to elderly people, not least in terms of the early identification of health or social problems, through a system of regular monitoring organised by their general practitioner. This proposal builds on a large number of local initiatives of this kind.