§ Mr. SteenTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy to issue guidance to the Devon family practitioner committee to the effect that women who have had hysterectomies and those who, at their own request, do not wish to be placed on the cervical cytology recall system will not cause their general practitioner to be placed at financial disadvantage with regard to the calculation for new target payments under the new contract for general practitioners.
§ Mrs. Virginia BottomleyNo. The method of calculating target payments for cervical cytology is set down in paragraph 28 of the revised statement of fees and allowances. The population used in the calculations includes all women aged 25 to 64 save those who have had full hysterectomies. The Devon family practitioner committee is well aware of these arrangements.
§ Mr. SteenTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will set out the authority under which non-medical personnel may request information from general practitioners as to why patients on their lists are not on the cervical cytology recall system.
§ Mrs. Virginia BottomleyHC(88)1, a copy of which is in the Library, states that all women aged 20 to 64 should be invited for cervical screening, unless their general practitioner has indicated that they should be excluded. The detailed operation of computerised call and recall systems for cervical screening is a matter for family practitioner committees on behalf of district health authorities.