§ Mr. SheermanTo ask the Secretary of State for Health who will be responsible for paying for drug addicts to attend drug dependency units when general practitioners have their own budgets.
§ Mrs. Virginia BottomleyThe National Health Service and Community Care Bill provides for GP practices which volunteer to do so, and which meet the eligibility criteria, to run their own practice funds. From 1 April 1991, practice funds will enable GPs to purchase a specified range of hospital services for their patients. The practice 371W funding arrangements will cover all initial out-patient referrals made by GPs—but not those made by other health professionals—and certain in-patient or day case procedures, primarily in the area of elective surgery. The cost of treating patients referred by GP fund holders to drug depedency units on an out-patient basis will be met from the practice fund, whereas the cost of referrals by other agencies (such as social services), self-referrals and of in-patient care will not be a charge on the fund. These patients will be covered (as will the patients of non-fund holders) by the contracts which district health authorities place on behalf of their resident population.