HC Deb 03 December 1997 vol 302 c270W
25. Mr. Alan W. Williams

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on the national health service trust reconfiguration exercise. [17495]

Mr. Win Griffiths

I launched the reconfiguration exercise to improve the quality of hospital and community health services in Wales through the establishment of a more effective and efficient structure of NHS Trusts. It is expected that the review will lead to improvements in the planning and delivery of services to patients, the replacement of competition between Trusts and a new collaborative approach and the transfer of considerable resources from management and administration towards direct patient care.