HC Deb 22 July 2002 vol 389 cc871-2W
Mr. Brazier

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases have been referred from the health authorities in Kent for operations abroad in the last 12 months; and of those completed(a) what proportion showed serious post-operative complications and (b) what the cost was in each case. [68859]

Mr. Hutton

Earlier this year East Kent Health Authority referred 96 patients to La Louvière Polyclinique in Lille as part of the pilot scheme to refer national health service patients overseas for routine elective surgery.

Information about post-operative complication rates arising after surgery is not collected centrally from the NHS. NHS organisations may collect and analyse this kind of information, among other indicators of quality, as part of their local clinical governance arrangements designed to assure and continuously improve the quality of care for all NHS patients. The NHS is responsible for ensuring that NHS patients receive high clinical standards of care wherever they are treated.

As is standard practice with contracts between the NHS and independent health care providers, the prices for particular procedures are confidential. The total cost of treatment and travel for the East Kent patients treated during the pilot was approximately £576,000.

Dr. Murrison

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what the total cost to date has been of treating NHS patients abroad under contract; [68036]

(2) what assessment he has made of the complication rates arising from (a) treatment carried out abroad under the NHS and (b) NHS treatment in the UK since NHS treatment abroad began. [68035]

Mr. Hutton

The total cost of treatment and travel for the patients treated between January and April 2002 during the pilot scheme in south east England to refer national health service patients overseas for routine elective surgery was approximately £1.1 million.

Information about "complication rates" arising after surgery is not collected centrally from the NHS. NHS organisations may collect and analyse this kind of information, among other indicators of quality, as part of their local clinical governance arrangements designed to assure and continuously improve the quality of care for all NHS patients. The NHS is responsible for ensuring that NHS patients receive high clinical standards of care wherever they are treated.