§ Mr. RedmondTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will sponsor a national programme of research into(a) the incidence of inappropriate hospital discharge, including the extent to which this leads to re-admission to hospital and (b) hospital discharge arrangements which will identify examples of good practice and promote these through the publication of national guidelines; and if he will make a statement. [33662]
§ Mr. SackvilleWe have already supported the unit of health care epidemiology at the university of Oxford to carry out work on readmissions.
General good practice guidance on hospital discharge procedures—"Hospital Discharge Workbook—a manual on hospital discharge procedures" was issued in 1994 to all health authorities, local authorities, general practitioners, hospital and community health services, copies of which are available in the Library.