§ 15. Mr. Roger KingTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on national health trust hospitals.
§ Mr. WaldegraveThe 57 NHS trusts established on 1 April 1991 are delivering significant benefits to patients. A further 99 NHS trusts will become operational on 1 April 1992, and the number of hospitals and other units now established clearly indicates the enthusiasm and commitment that managers and clinicians have shown for improving the NHS.
§ 18. Mr. Andrew MitchellTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what reports he has received about the effectiveness of national health service hospital trusts.
§ Mrs. Virginia BottomleyApart from regular financial and activity returns, I receive regular reports about the performance of NHS trusts, which indicate that they are treating more patients than ever before and introducing a wide variety of innovative benefits to patients.