§ Ms. HarmanTo ask the Secretary of State for Health, (1) pursuant to his answer of 5 November,Official Report, column 102, what progress his Department is making with improving the quality of the maternity hospital episode system; and whether the information requested will be available in respect of the financial years 1990–91 and 1991–92;
(2) whether reliable information about method of onset of labour, method of delivery, use of anaesthetic for labour and delivery, the place of delivery and the person conducting the delivery, will be available for deliveries to residents of NHS regions and districts in the financial years 1990–91 and 1991–92.
§ Mrs. Virginia BottomleyIt is too early to make a precise assessment of maternity hospital episode statistics (HES) coverage in 1990–91, but indications are that about 70 per cent. of birth episodes and 60 per cent. of delivery episodes will be covered. Until the data are finalised, processed, and examined in depth, it will not be possible to comment on the quality and completeness of the data in these records, or to tell whether the specific information requested will be available.
The NHS management executive monitors the data provided by regional health authorities and regularly meets with regional directors of information to discuss the quality of the data. The difficulties surrounding the completeness of maternity data have been identified as a 520W priority. This initiative has resulted in real improvements in most regions. Work has now been successfully completed in the area of linking maternity to other systems and an improvement will be evident when 1991–92 data are available.
§ Ms. HarmanTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will give the numbers of women resident in(a) Dacorum local government district and (b) St. Albans local government district who gave birth in 1990 in (i) St. Albans City hospital, (ii) Luton and Dunstable hospital, (iii) Queen Elizabeth II hospital, Welwyn Garden City, (iv) Watford General hospital, (v) Royal Buckinghamshire hospital, (vi) RAF Halton maternity unit, (vii) other hospitals, (viii) at home and (ix) elsewhere.
§ Mrs. Virginia BottomleyThis information is not collected centrally.