§ Mr. MorganTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Alyn and Deeside (Mr. Jones) of 13 January,Official Report, column 507, what other initiatives have been undertaken since the target for heart operations per annum was set; and in what ways the option appraisal on how to make good the balance of the target will differ from the other initiatives.
§ Mr. Nicholas BennettIn addition to the developments outlined in my answer to the hon. Member for Alyn and Deeside (Mr. Jones) on 13 January 1992, we have already invested in excess of £7 million capital and over £5 million revenue to improve cardiac facilities, including vital support services, at the University Hospital of Wales (UHW) in order to increase capacity to 600 adults and 100 paediatric open heart operations per annum, with cardiology at an appropriate level.
Since 1989–90, a further £1.1 million has been made available to South Glamorgan health authority to contract, on behalf of all south Wales DHAs, for additional adult cardiac surgery at other specialist centres following assessment of patients at UHW. An additional £0.5 million has enabled UHW to undertake an increased number of angioplasty and valvuloplasty procedures on Welsh patients.
Clwyd health authority, which secures its cardiac services from specialist centres in England, has also received additional central funding, on a recurrent basis to increase provision for its patients.
Pending the establishment of the paediatric cardiac unit at UHW, as an interim measure, services have been procured from the specialist children's hospital in Bristol for which nearly £400,000 additional funding has been provided.
The option appraisal will establish the alternatives available for meeting the balance of 400 adult operations in the light of the latest estimate of need, capacity created by the development programme already announced, medical and technological advance and the opportunities available.
I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for giving me the opportunity to set out the progress being made in the Welsh NHS in this speciality.