§ Mr. MaplesTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps health authorities will take to involve the public in(a) the proposed health improvement plans, (b) the proposed primary care groups and (c) NHS trusts following the introduction of proposals set out in his White Paper on the NHS. [29061]
§ Mr. MilburnRebuilding confidence in the National Health Service as a public service, accountable to patients, open to the public and shaped by their views, is one of the essential tasks left to us by the previous Administration. The White Paper,"The New NHS", sets clear requirements for public accountability, which will be met locally in a variety of ways as implementation of the White Paper proceeds. Nationally, we recently added NHS trusts to the list of bodies whose meetings must be open to the public.