§ 26. Mr. SumbergTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress is being made in implementing the measures outlined in his further working paper on the indicative prescribing scheme for general practitioners; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mrs. Virginia BottomleySince the publication of "Improving Prescribing" on 23 May further progress has been made towards implementation of the scheme. Arrangements have been made to hold a series of six seminars in different parts of the country for key NHS personnel who will be closely involved in operating the scheme. Their purpose is to update these personnel on the development of the scheme. The first two seminars were held at Leicester on 5 October and Birmingham on 12 October.
We propose to issue to regional health authorities and family health services authorities later this month further detailed guidance on the financial framework of the scheme and the setting of indicative prescribing amounts.
The introduction and development of the necessary information systems at the Prescription Pricing Authority is also progressing smoothly.