§ Dr. MurrisonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what action he is taking to improve quality of expectation among NHS patients; and if he will make a statement. [14043]
§ Ms BlearsI apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in responding to this question. I refer him to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002Official Report, column 192W.
The national health service plan set out a vision for creating a patient-centred NHS. The Government have already taken action to improve the quality of patients' experience through a range of initiatives: high quality standards of care through national service frameworks; better quality food and higher standards of cleanliness; measurement of performance from the patient's perspective, through a new system of local surveys and locally published patient prospectuses; new initiatives to strengthen the voice of patients and the public in the management and delivery of health services, as set out in "Involving Patients and the Public in Health Care: Response to the Listening Exercise".