HC Deb 05 November 2001 vol 374 cc118-20W
Mr. Rooney

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was(a) the original tender price, (b) final cost, (c) projected time for construction and (d) actual time for construction for each of the last 20 new build hospital schemes under traditional public sector funding. [12250]

Mr. Hutton

The details for each of the last 20 new build hospital schemes under traditional public sector funding are shown in the table.

Mr. Hutton

[holding answer 31 October 2001]: The Department is monitoring the implementation of National Institute for Clinical Excellence appraisal guidance through its routine performance assessment procedures supplemented by other data sources available to the Department. We will be looking to the Commission for Health Improvement to provide more information in due course. Additionally, we are preparing to implement our manifesto commitment that local health authorities and trusts will be directed to fund drugs and treatments recommended by NICE", and expect to announce further details shortly.

The Department has not provided specific guidance about the audit of guidance implementation. However, the National Prescribing Centre recently published a guide for National Health Service professionals to help with the process of local implementation of NICE guidance, including audit. NICE itself is developing audit tools which will be published alongside its appraisals.

Guidance to the NHS on treatments undergoing assessment by NICE is set out in Health Service Circular 1999/176. NHS bodies are advised to continue to use existing arrangements to access the publicly available evidence and to determine local policies for the managed entry of the new intervention.

We are currently formulating proposals for the release of data about products subject to NICE recommendations.

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