§ Mr. Barry JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales what plans he has to encourage the use of telemedicine. [20731]
§ Mr. Win GriffithsWales has been at the forefront of developing telemedicine; an experimental project in North Powys showed the benefits to patients and practitioners from having electronic access to distant specialists. To take this work further, the Welsh Office is supporting the Ceredigion and Mid Wales NHS Trust in its "Keeping Care Local" project. This project will review the full range of trust services to find ways of using telemedicine technology to benefit much larger numbers of patients. The results will be published at a conference and exhibition on telemedicine in Cardiff on 27 and 28 April 1998. I expect health authorities and trusts to learn from such work and to exploit opportunities in their own areas.