§ Ms PrimaroloTo ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer of 18 January,Official Report, column 534, what are the safeguards that constrain the opportunities for health authorities and trusts in making available authorised pay-beds.
§ Mr SackvilleNational health service trust hospitals may make beds available for private patients providing there is no significant interference with the performance by the trust of its obligations under NHS contracts. Similar provisions apply to directly managed units. These statutory requirements ensure that NHS patients are not disadvantaged by private practice within the health service.
§ Ms PrimaroloTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what specific auditing or monitoring is undertaken to ensure that national health service private patient charges are calculated correctly and that all costs to the national health service are included.
§ Mr. SackvilleAuditors examine the adequacy of systems of financial control and compliance with them as part of their annual audit programme.
§ Ms PrimaroloTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what is her Department's policy on(a) collecting centrally and (b) for publishing information on the number of authorised pay-beds within the national health service since 1 April 1991;
(2) when she expects information on the number of authorised pay-beds in the national health service for the years 1991–92 and 1992–93 to become available; and what are the reasons for the delay in making public information on authorised pay-beds in the national health service for 1991–92.
§ Mr. SackvilleSince 1 April 1991, health authorities, on behalf of directly managed units, and trusts have, subject to certain safeguards, been able to determine their own private patient activity. Trusts record private patient income in their accounts but do not "authorise" pay-beds and therefore do not collect authorised bed numbers.
§ Ms PrimaroloTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what evidence her Department has received indicating abuses or omissions in the compilation of charges to private bed users within the national health service.
§ Mr. SackvilleNone.