§ Mr. Nigel EvansTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures are being taken to promote better health practices in England.
§ Dr. MawhinneyOver £150 million has been invested since 1989 to support medical and clinical audit. The philosophy of audit is now generally accepted by the medical and other health care professions.
The clinical outcomes group, jointly chaired by the chief medical officer and chief nursing officer and representing all the major professional groups in the national health service, has been set up to drive forward the concept of clinical audit and focus on establishing outcomes.
Other initiatives include:
the "Health of the Nation" which has set targets in the area of awareness and prevention of illness; and a series of bulletins entitled "Effective Health Care", bringing together evidence of the effectiveness of specific health care interventions. Four bulletins have been issued to date:Department of Health funded research programmes which will form the basis of standards for audit in future; encouraging the medical royal colleges to set best practice standards for their specialties.
- Population Screening for Osteoporosis
- Rehabilitation after Stroke
- The Management of Subfertility
- Treatment of Persistent Glue Ear in Children