§ Ms HarmanTo ask the Secretary of State for Health by what procedure general practitioners will be notified in the case of immediate category of notification procedure on the public health link system being activated. [41512]
§ Mr. SackvilleFollowing consultation with the profession, the chief medical officer wrote to all doctors on 24 February 1994 setting out the new arrangements for communications with the profession (PL CMO(94)3). Where there is a need to send information very quickly to doctors, the public health link system is activated. The message is transmitted electronically to district directors of public health who have the responsibility for forwarding it, with the minimum of delay, to the relevant health professionals. Every district has set up its own locally determined mechanisms for cascading the information. For example, some general practitioners would receive the information electronically via a local e-mail system, others by fax, others by courier, and in some instances the message could be conveyed by a telephone call.
§ Ms HarmanTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of whether the public health link system of communications which uses the EPINET system will operate satisfactorily if the immediate category of notification procedure needs to be activated. [41511]
§ Mr. SackvilleThe public health link system was set up in February 1994, following consultation with the profession and in response to a recognised need to get important urgent information to doctors. The system was first tested on 6 July 1994 when a test message was sent to district directors of public health to cascade to all doctors. This test message enabled districts to assess their local arrangements.
490WSince then the cascade system has been activated a further seven times, for example to provide information about Ebola virus and plague. The system has generally been welcomed and has worked well, though it is recognised that it is very difficult for each district to get information to each and every doctor within a few hours. Each use of the cascade has provided a valuable opportunity to assess and revise the local and central arrangements for cascading information. A list of the cascade messages, and chief medical officer letters and updates, is included in the annual report "On the State of the Public Health", copies of which are available in the Library.
§ Ms HarmanTo ask the Secretary of State for Health whom he intends to consult in his review of the public health link procedure for notifying general practitioners that he announced in his statement to the House of 23 October,Official Report, columns 701–10, when he expects to conclude the review; and if he will publish the results. [41513]
§ Mr. SackvilleThe review of arrangements for communicating urgent information to all doctors has already started. The results of the review will be discussed with the profession. We shall ensure that the conclusions from that review will be acted upon.