§ Dr. HarrisTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) from whom UK Transplant obtains it medical advice;[153477]
(2) what plans he has to appoint a medical director for UK Transplant. [153478]
§ Mr. DenhamMedical advice for UK Transplant is obtained from a number of sources. The authority has a number of long-established advisory groups (one for each organ type) which bring together leading clinicians in the field of transplantation from whom advice is sought as needed.
Additionally, UK Transplant is able to access medical advice from the Department. In the future, the medical director at UK Transplant will be the chief source of advice for the authority, in discussion with colleagues in transplant and related services.
The appointment of a medical director for UK Transplant is a matter for the special health authority. Mr. Chris Rudge has been appointed and will formally take up the post on 30 April 2001.
§ Dr. HarrisTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how he plans to organise his Department's transplant co-ordinator resource; and what role he plans for UK Transplant in this process. [153476]
§ Mr. DenhamTransplant co-ordinators are employed by individual national health service trusts, not by the Department. One of the key recommendations in the quinquennial review report of United Kingdom transplant support service authority (as it was) published in February 2000 was that the special health authority should be given responsibility, among other things, for co-ordination of transplant co-ordinator services on a national basis. UK Transplant has prepared a business case for taking action forward in this area. The business case is currently under consideration within the Department. In the interim, a transplant co-ordinators advisory group has been established by UK Transplant to begin to deliver the recommendations of the review.