§ Mr. CohenTo ask the Secretary of State for Health who is responsible for strategic planning of London's cardiac services; and what is his current plan. [13260]
§ Mr. MaloneThe strategic planning of cardiac services in London—as elsewhere—is a matter for purchasing authorities and national health service trusts working together to ensure that comprehensive services are provided to meet patients' needs both now and in the future, taking into account national planning and priorities guidelines.
Plans for developing specialist services in London are set out in "Making London Better" including an independent review of cardiac services, which was published in July 1993. Its recommendations have contributed to planning the future configuration of these services in the capital. Copies of the documents are available in the Library.
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§ Mr. CohenTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what proportion of the hospitals listed as providing specialist treatment for cardiac patients in the 1993 London implementation group report of the cardiac speciality review(a) have since closed and (b) are in the process of closure. [13245]
§ Mr. MaloneThe independent review of the 14 tertiary cardiac centres in London, published in July 1993, is only part of a range of available advice taken into account in considering the future configuration of these services in the capital. In April 1995, decisions were announced on the concentration of cardiac services in south east London at St. Thomas's hospital and in east London at the Royal London hospital site at Whitechapel. Since then, cardiac services provided in outdated accommodation at the Brook hospital have transferred to Guy's hospital and St. Thomas's hospital. The Brook hospital closed in November 1995. There are no immediate plans for the closure of other hospitals named in the report.