§ Mr. BurstowTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what mechanisms he will use to implement the NHS White Paper's recommendation that GP consortia use boundaries coterminous with social services. [35879]
§ Mr. MilburnCoterminosity with social services boundaries is an important consideration in establishing primary care groups but not the sole one. Others include the need to establish primary care groups around natural communities and ideally a population of 100,000. We shall be issuing guidance shortly on the configuration of primary care groups, including the criteria health authorities should take into account when proposing primary care groups.