§ Mr. RedmondTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will issue guidelines on who has the responsibility to meet prescribing costs once a national health service patient has been discharged from an(a) national health service directly-managed unit to a fund-holding general practitioner practice, (b) national health service directly-managed unit to a non-fund-holding general practitioner practice, (c) self-governing trust to a fund-holding general practitioner practice and (d) self-governing trust to a non-fund-holding general practitioner practice.
§ Mrs. Virginia BottomleyThe general principle is that the doctor who has clinical responsibility has prescribing responsibility.
Protocols may also be made between consultants and general practitioners to care for particular categories of patients on a shared-care basis.