HC Deb 11 January 1994 vol 235 cc109-10W
Ms Primarolo

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what evidence she has on the relative level of income and expense reimbursement of general practitioners for areas of low mortality and morbidity and inner city areas.

Dr. Mawhinney

Information placed in the Library shows, by family health services authority the gross payments in 1992–93 to general medical practitioners for provision of general medical services and the standardised mortality ratios for the local authority areas which most closely match each FHSA. Information on morbidity by inner city areas is not available.

There are many factors affecting the level of payments to general medical practitioners, such as list size and cost of premises, which make it difficult to draw conclusions about levels of payments in relation to mortality data.

Mr. Luff

To ask the Secretary of State for Hpalth if she will make a statement on the progress of general practitioner fundholding in the Worcester area.

Dr. Mawhinney

Regional health authorities are responsible for managing the general practitioner fundholding scheme in their areas. Nationally 25 per cent. of the population is covered by fundholding, in the West Midlands region the figure is just over 26 per cent. From April about a third of the population will be covered.

Mr. Milburn

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer on 13 December,Official Report, column 470, if she will break down the amounts retained by general practitioner fundholders by region.

Dr. Mawhinney

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 17 December 1993 at col1010.

Mr. Milburn

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will give figures for the management consultants' fees for assessing applications by general practitioners for fund-holder status by(a) wave and (b) region.

Dr. Mawhinney

This information is not available centrally. Regional health authorities are responsible for assessing applications to join the fund-holding scheme.

Mr. Pawsey

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many fund-holding general practitioners are now in place.

Dr. Mawhinney

There are now over 6,000 general practitioner fundholders in over 1,200 practices.

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