§ Mr. Andrew TurnerTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what his outcome targets are for the NHS for(a) 2002–03, (b) 2003–04, (c) five years hence and (d) 10 years hence; and how they have changed as a result of his statement on 18 April. [51915]
§ Mr. Hutton[holding answer 23 April 2002]: The Department's Public Service Agreement (PSA) contains a number of headline targets, such as:
Patients will receive treatment at a time that suits them in accordance with their clinical need: two thirds of all outpatient appointments and inpatient elective admissions will be pre-booked by 2003–04 on the way to 100 per cent. pre-booking by 2005.Guaranteed access to a primary care professional with 24 hours and to a primary care doctor within 48 hours by 2008.Reduce the maximum wait for an out-patient appointment to three months and the maximum wait for in-patient treatment to six months by the end of 2005.Reduce substantially the mortality rates from major killers by 2010: from heart disease by at least 40 per cent. in people under 75; from cancer by at least 20 per cent. in people under 75; and from suicide and undetermined injury by at least 20 per cent.Progress against PSA targets is recorded every year in the Department's annual report. The next departmental report will be published in spring 2002.
A new PSA will be published at the end of the spending review process (summer 2002).