§ 32. Helen JacksonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what action he has taken to introduce national service frameworks in the NHS. [42209]
§ Mr. MilburnThe annual programme of national service frameworks was launched on 16 April 1998. The initial programme of work will take forward the existing frameworks for cancer and paediatric intensive care, and will begin to develop new national service frameworks for mental health and coronary heart disease.
Each national service framework will be developed with the assistance of an expert reference group which will bring together health professionals, service users and carers, health service managers, partner agencies, and other advocates. The reference groups for mental health and coronary heart disease will be established during the next few weeks, and will begin work in the early summer.
Emerging findings will be published in the autumn and the frameworks in spring 1999. The National Health Service, working with partner agencies, will be expected to begin to plan for implementation from April 1999.