HC Deb 16 March 2000 vol 346 cc298-9W
Mrs. Spelman

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many pilot schemes with end dates his Department has created in each of the last three years; what the end dates were; and if the pilot schemes have been rolled out by their end dates. [112803]

Ms Stuart

The Department regularly instigates a large number of pilot projects across a wide range of policy areas to assess their feasibility for possible national application, generally on a three year basis. The main areas covered in the last three years, with the number of projects involved, are:

Personal Medical Services Phase 1—with effect from April 1998: 85 Phase 2—with effect from October 1999: 106

General Practitioner Commissioning Groups with effect from April 1998 for one year only: 39

Walk-in Centres with effect from March 2000: 07; to be followed by December by a further 29

NHS Direct Phase 1—with effect from March 1998: 3 Phase 2—with effect from January 1999: 10 new schemes Phase 3—with effect from November 1999: 04 new schemes Phase 4—with effect from October 2000: 5 new schemes to follow

National Booked Admission Phase 1—with effect from November 1998: 24 Phase 2—with effect from September 1999: 60 9 Cancer networks—with effect from September 1999: covering 43 projects

Personal Dental Services Phase 1—with effect from October 1998: 15 Phase 2—with effect from October 1999: 23.

In addition a small number of more focused studies into more discrete, but limited, topics are also proceeding.

Details of the end dates and roll-out dates of each individual scheme could be obtained only at disproportionate cost, particularly as there is no universally agreed definition of a pilot scheme in this context. However, if the hon. Member would like specific information on any individual scheme and would let me have appropriate details, I will ensure that this information is provided.

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