§ Mr. MorganTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) whether he will issue guidelines to the National Health Service director in Wales to ensure that in any conferences organised by him all participants, including speakers, with particular expertise and experience in health care systems with administrative costs higher than the National Health Service, should contribute fees to the National Health Service commensurate with the learning curve benefit on management efficiency they derive;
(2) whether he will issue guidelines to the National Health Service directorate and manpower consultancy service to ensure that all conferences it organises for National Health Service employees in Wales on health care management give preference to speakers with direct expertise and experience of health care systems with lower administrative costs than the United Kingdom National Health Service;
(3) whether he will issue guidelines to Welsh health authorities on the maximum cost per National Health Service employee for attendance at conferences on non-medical subjects.
§ Mr. GristAll conferences arranged by the NHS in Wales are designed to develop the service and are therefore ultimately for the benefit of patients. Speakers, whether from within the United Kingdom National Health Service or outside, are selected on the basis of the contribution they can make. Fees and related costs and charges are taken fully into account in making this judgment.
I see no need to issue specific guidelines as these principles are well understood. It is a matter for local decision as to which conferences individual employees should attend.
§ Mr. MorganTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales what was the cost to the National Health Service in Wales of National Health Service employees attending the Yale university school of management health care management executive programme at the Metropole hotel, Llandrindod Wells, on 3 to 8 June.
§ Mr. GristIt is estimated that up to 60 delegates will attend the healthcare management executive programme at Llandrindod Wells. The course is expected to be self-financing, but the Department has indicated that it will fund four delegates from each health authority, at a total cost of £60,000. Fee-paying delegates will be attending from the rest of the United Kingdom, and further places may be taken up by Welsh NHS employees at a cost of £1,500 per delegate.
The programme is widely recognised as one of the best and most intensive training courses available in healthcare management and has previously been run in Australia, Spain and England, as well as the United States. Professor Fetter's team are world leaders, having developed the use of diagnosis related groups (DRGs) for the effective management of healthcare resources in a wide range of countries.