§ Mr. LawsTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to increase the involvement of the private sector in the provision of health care; and if he will make a statement. [10743]
§ Mr. Hutton[holding answer 31 October 2001]: As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State made clear on 24 October in his evidence to the Health Select
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Major capital schemes approved to go ahead since May 1997—England Regional office Scheme Capital value (£ million) PFI schemes reached financial close which are completed: South East Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust 94 Northern and Yorkshire Carlisle Hospitals NHS Trust 65 South East South Buckinghamshire NHS Trust 45 London Queen Elizabeth Hospital NHS Trust 93 Northern and Yorkshire Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Trust 65 Northern and Yorkshire North Durham Health Care NHS Trust 61 North West South Manchester University Hospitals NHS Trust 66 Eastern Norfolk and Norwich NHS Trust 158 8 Total PH Schemes at Financial Close which are completed 647 PEI schemes reached financial close and under construction: London Bromley Healthcare NHS Trust 118 London Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust 54 West Midlands Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust 87 West Midlands Hereford Hospitals NHS Trust 64 Northern and Yorkshire South Durham Healthcare NHS Trust 41 Northern and Yorkshire South Tees Acute Hospitals NHS Trust 122 South West Swindon and Marlborough NHS Trust 96 London King's Healthcare NHS Trust 64 Northern and Yorkshire Leeds Community and Mental Health services Teaching NHS Trust 47 London St. George's Hospital NHS Trust 49 London University College London Hospitals NHS Trust 404 Northern and Yorkshire Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust 22 London West Middlesex University Hospitals NHS Trust 60 West Midlands Dudley Group of Hospitals NHS Trust 137 South East Berkshire Healthcare NHS Trust 30 15 Total PF1 Schemes reached Financial Close with work started on site 1,395 23 Total PFI Schemes Reached Financial Close with work started on site or completed 2,042 Committee, the Department is working to improve collaboration between the National Health Service and the private sector. There are five aspects to this collaboration. First, £40 million is being made available to the NHS to buy treatment for NHS patients in the private sector over the coming months. Secondly, officials are working on a national framework agreement to build longer term relationships between the NHS and the private sector with a view to doubling the number of NHS patients treated in private hospitals to 100,000 a year from next year. Thirdly, the Department is exploring the possibility of contracts under which part of or indeed even entire private hospitals would become NHS providers of services for a number of years. Fourthly, Ministers will consider approaches from private sector providers to build privately owned diagnostic treatment centres which will perform operations purely on NHS patients. And finally we are exploring whether private sector providers in mainland Europe have spare capacity available to treat NHS patients. Three sites in south-east England are providing a test-bed for this new policy.