§ Mr. LawsTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS patients have been sent abroad for operations over the last three months; in which countries they have been treated; what has been the cost saving to the NHS; and if he will make a statement. [11474]
§ Mr. Hutton[holding answer 1 November 2001]: I apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in responding to this question. I refer the hon. Member 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 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
Under the pilot scheme to send national health service patients abroad, currently under way in south-east England, 18 patients travelled for treatment in January and 41 in February. 11 patients travelled for treatment on Friday 1 March and a further 20 are due to travel in the week commencing 4 March. The patients are being treated in France and Germany. We expect up to 200 patients to travel overseas for treatment as part of the pilot.
The prices for these procedures are commercially confidential. However, they are comparable to the prices charged for individual operations in the United Kingdom private sector.
The Department has authorised a total of 252 E112 applications since the beginning of December 2001, permitting patients to receive treatment, maternity care or continuing care in other countries of the European Economic Area, funded by the NHS. 72 in December, 94 in January and 86 in February. (These figures are GB figures, as the Department administers this scheme on behalf of Scotland and Wales.) However, the fact that a given number of forms were authorised in a given period does not necessarily mean that the same number of patients actually travelled overseas in that period. The countries involved were Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Norway, Portugal and Spain.
No information on costs can be provided as invoices are submitted retrospectively.