HL Deb 23 June 1999 vol 602 cc91-2WA
Lord Craig of Radley

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What formal arrangements the Ministry of Defence have made with the National Health Service to treat service personnel who require secondary medical care to ensure their quick return to duty. [HL2719]

Lord Burlison

Financial arrangements between the Ministry of Defence and the NHS to enable secondary care treatment to be given to service personnel are set out in Health Services Circular 1999/112 of 21 May 1999. This circular details the financial arrangements which underpin MoD contracts with NHS Hospital Trusts with regard to Ministry of Defence hospital units (MDHUs) and which will also underpin all future hosting or treatment arrangements between the two departments. The MDHU contracts negotiated in this arrangement include the requirement to meet the Defence Secondary Care Agency key targets for waiting times and contain financial incentives to encourage NHS trusts to meet critical operational priority targets.