§ Mr. JenkinsTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures he is taking to increase hospital security. [82994]
§ Mr. Lammy[holding answer 2 December 2002]: It is the responsibility of individual national health service trusts to ensure that an appropriate security strategy is in place to provide a safe and secure environment for patients, staff and visitors in NHS hospitals. The procedures to be put in place are decided at a local level as they depend very much on the design and physical layout of individual hospital sites.
The NHS Security Manual is a practical guide to addressing the full range of security issues within health care organisations. It is currently being re-written.
§ Tim LoughtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he has allocated funding to hospital trusts to be spent on increased security measures for staff and patients in hospitals. [83297]
§ Mr. LammyIt is the responsibility of individual national health service trusts to ensure that an appropriate security strategy is in place to provide a safe and secure environment for patients, staff and visitors in NHS hospitals.
Procedures to be put in place are made at a local level, as they depend very much on the design and physical layout of the individual hospital sites. Additional funding is being made available to the NHS as part of the average annual real terms increase of 7.4 per cent., across England over the years 2003–08. Trust management will decide what funding levels will be needed to meet their security needs.
The NHS Security Manual is a practical guide to addressing the full range of security issues within health care organisations. It is currently being re-written.