Mr. BowlsTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will announce the procedure for the consultation with general practitioners and others by FHSAs prior to the setting of indicative drugs budgets.
§ Mrs. Virginia BottomleyPractices will be able to discuss their indicative prescribing budgets with their family practitioner committees before they are set. Family practitioner committees will consider the practices' historic spending patterns, comparable average costs for that family practitioner committee, special circumstances of the practices including high-cost patients, anticipated changes in demand and an allowance for the forecast increase in the cost of drugs. In this way, the needs of the practices and their patients will be fully taken into account in setting the budgets.