§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if the Public Service Agreement target for March for the connection of GP surgeries using clinical computer systems to the NHSnet was met. [14906]
§ Ms BlearsThe Public Service Agreement between the Department and Her Majesty's Treasury which formed part of the spending review 2000 did not include a specific target for connection of general practitioner surgeries to NHSnet.
The Government's information management and technology strategy for the national health service, "Building the Information Core—Implementing the NHS Plan", published in January 2001 gave the target of 95 per cent. of GP practices in England to be connected to NHSnet by end of March 2001.
At that date 93.6 per cent. of practices in England had an NHSnet connection; over 95 per cent. were connected by the end of May 2001, and at the end of October 2001, over 97 per cent.
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§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on progress towards meeting the Public Service Agreement target for the connection of GP surgeries which use clinical computer systems to the NHSnet by March 2002. [14905]
§ Ms BlearsThe Public Service Agreement between the Department and Her Majesty's Treasury which formed part of the spending review 2000 did not include a specific target for connection of general practitioner surgeries to NHSnet.
The Government's information management and technology strategy for the national health service, "Building the Information Core—Implementing the NHS Plan", published in January 2001 gave the target for all GP practices in England to be connected to NHSnet by March 2002.
At the end of October 2001, over 97 per cent. of GP practices in England were connected to NHSnet. It is expected that by March 2002, nearly all GP practices will be connected.
§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on progress in meeting the Public Service Agreement target of savings from action on contractor fraud between 1999–2000 and 2001–02. [14930]
§ Ms BlearsThe two Public Service Agreement targets for savings from action on contractor fraud are:
- (a)to recover £6 million lost to fraud by contractors, in pharmaceutical services, by the end of 2001–02, and
- (b)to prevent the loss of £9 million of national health service funds to contractor fraud, again in pharmaceutical services by the end of 2001–02.
The NHS counter fraud service (NHSCFS) inherited these targets on its formation in late 1998. Among the wide range of activity undertaken in countering fraud in the NHS they have made excellent progress in achieving these PSA targets.
The first target to recover £6 million lost to fraud by contactors in the pharmaceutical service has already been exceeded. The NHSCFS has, as at the end of October, agreed recoveries totalling £7.47 million.
The second target was to prevent the loss of £9 million of NHS funds lost to contractor fraud in the pharmaceutical service. By mid January 2002 the NHSCFS will have hard figures for the loss to fraud in this area and for the losses that have been prevented as a result of the work that has taken place.
§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on progress in meeting the Public Service Agreement target of a 50 per cent. reduction in prescription charge evasion by 2002–03. [14899]
§ Ms BlearsOn its formation in late 1998 the national health service Counter Fraud Service (NHSCFS) inherited the PSA target to reduce patient prescription charge fraud by 50 per cent. by 2002–03.
The progress of the NHSCFS has made against the target has already shown a reduction in losses to fraud in this area of 41 per cent. (£48 million) by the end of 2000–01.
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