HC Deb 14 April 1993 vol 222 cc606-7W
Mrs. Helen Jackson

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will publish the up-to-date guidance given to GP fund holders about how they construct their budget.

Dr. Mawhinney

Budget setting guidance was issued in November 1992 under cover of EL (92)83. A copy is available in the Library.

Mrs. Helen Jackson

To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the guidelines for the financial arrangements governing GP fund holders were last updated.

Dr. Mawhinney

The updated general practitioner fund holder manual of accounts was issued in March 1993.

Mrs. Helen Jackson

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make it her policy to ensure that GP fund holders' budgets and accounts are kept in a common form.

Dr. Mawhinney

The general practitioner fund holder manual of accounts sets out the accounting rules to he followed by all fund holders. It includes common formats for monthly budget monitoring reports and annual accounts.

Mr. Blunkett

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance has been issued by her Department to general practitioners wishing to become fund holders with regard to prior consultation with the patients of the practice concerned.

Dr. Mawhinney

None.

Mr. Hunter

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what audit her Department has carried out to assess the quality of patient care administered by general practitioner fund-holding practices and non-fund holding practices.

Dr. Mawhinney

Every family health services authority was required to establish a medical audit advisory group by 1 April 1991 to direct, co-ordinate and monitor medical audit activities within all general medical practices in its area. In exercising their purchasing role, general practitioner fund holders are also subject to monitoring and scrutiny by regional health authorities, which are responsible for the management of the fund-holding scheme.

Ms Primarolo

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information her Department has received from the Audit Commission in relation to its study of GP fund-holding in 1991–92.

Dr. Mawhinney

Apart from discharging its statutory audit responsibility, the Audit Commission did not undertake a study of general practitioner fund-holding in 1991–92.