§ Mrs. FyfeTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if she will publish(a) the programme of work for the women's unit and (b) the goals that have been achieved to date, following the establishment of Opportunity 2000;
(2) whether she has any plans to continue the women's unit beyond 1994.
§ Mr. SackvilleIn September 1991 the Department of Health was the first Government Department to sign up to Opportunity 2000. The national health service goal is to take full advantage of the potential of women in the NHS so that the best health care can be provided for all members of the population.
To achieve its overall objectives, the national health service management executive has set eight goals for the NHS as the first milestone in the period to the year 2000. The NHSME wants to reach these goals by the end of 1994.
Numerical goals have been set to increase the numbers of women in senior management, accountancy, medical consultants and non-executive positions. Other goals address women's needs for personal and management development; flexible working and child care; and equal access to selection and promotion.
The programme of work for the NHS women's unit has been outlined in the NHS "Implementation Guide to Opportunity 2000", which will be placed in the Library, and 18 months into the campaign enocuraging progress has been made. The monitoring procedure, through local action plans, is ongoing and is constantly assessed by the unit. The future existence of the unit beyond 1994 will depend upon reviewing the progress made in achieving these goals.