§ Mr. Ieuan Wyn JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress his Department is making with implementing the maternity hospital episode system; how many districts are unable to provide all the items of information in the minimum data sets; and whether all National Health Service hospital trusts and private hospitals in England will be required to provide this information in the future.
§ Mr. FreemanThe collection of Korner maternity data commenced in September 1988. It is not possible to give a precise figure for the number of districts providing all items of the data set but approximately 70 per cent. have supplied all or most of the data required. The shortfall has been caused by technical difficulties between local maternity information systems and district information systems. Recommendations for changes to information systems consequent to the White Paper "Working for Patients" are currently the subject of consultation with the NHS. For maternity data the recommendation is that all providers to the district of residence will produce a minimum data set for hospital episodes of care. Those "contract" minimum data sets will include the data required under current maternity systems.