§ Mr. HammondTo ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reason the Chief Medical Officer's Annual report was not published in autumn 2000. [145008]
§ Yvette CooperThe last Chief Medical Officer's report was published in August 1998 by Sir Kenneth Calman shortly before he left office. The present Chief Medical Officer came into post in late September 1998. He has taken stock of the publications issued by the CMO and introduced a number of changes. He is currently exploring the opportunities for greater use of web-based publishing methods.
After listening to a wide range of views he also intends to introduce changes to the format of his annual report. Although the previous format served its purpose well in the past, it is very detailed and it is not always clear in what areas action is being called for. The practice of the CMO's annual report containing descriptions of a wide range of Government policies which are contained in other documents added to the detailed nature of the reports.
It is the intention of the CMO to produce a new format of the report. Although it was intended that the new report would be ready for the end of 2000, due to other pressing commitments it is hoped that it will now be published in the first quarter of this year. It will be shorter, with a clear 149W focus on areas for action and in a more accessible form. The CMO has produced a number of major reports in the last eighteen months including: "An organisation with a memory: report of an expert group on learning from adverse events in the NHS"; "Supporting Doctors, Protecting Patients"; and "Stem Cell Research: Medical Progress with Responsibility".