§ Mr. BlunkettTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when his Department received a copy of the report commissioned on the introduction of competency-based training for hospital officers and nurses; and when he intends to publish it.
§ Mr. Peter LloydResponsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from A. J. Butler to Mr. David Blunkett, dated 4 May 1994:
The Home Secretary has asked me, in the absence of the Director General from the office, to reply to your recent Question as to when his Department received a copy of the report commissioned on the introduction of competency based training for hospital officers and nurses; and when he intends to publish it.The report commissioned on the introduction of competency based training was received on the 28 February 1992. The report was judged to meet neither quality standards nor the tender specification. The report was therefore rejected by the Head of Nursing Services and not published. A further report was commissioned from an alternative source and received on 20 November 1992. As a direct result of this second report a policy of providing National Vocational Qualifications in care at levels 2 and 3 has been introduced for all hospital officers now called health care officers.