§ 15. Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received about the introduction of primary care groups. [72391]
§ Mr. DenhamWe have received many representations about the introduction of Primary Care Groups and I am pleased to note that, from April, we shall have 481 Primary Care Groups covering the whole of the population of England working to tackle health inequalities and deliver improvements in the quality and efficiency of patient services.
§ 19. Sir Sydney ChapmanTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what is his estimate of the annual cost of a primary care group. [72395]
§ Mr. DenhamThe annual cost of a Primary Care Group will vary depending upon its population size, level of devolved responsibility and the organisational structure that they adopt.
§ 32. Mr. CousinsTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what action he is taking to increase the accountability of primary care services to the communities they serve. [72408]
§ Mr. DenhamWe are committed to making the governing arrangements of National Health Service organisations more representative of local communities. As part of this process, Primary Care Groups will have individuals on the Primary Care Group board who can effectively represent the local community and users' and carers. In addition, we issued guidance on the accountability and the involvement of users and the public 667W as part of Health Service Circular 1998/139 "Developing Primary Care Groups", copies of which are available in the Library.