HC Deb 26 March 2002 vol 382 c910W
Mr. Rammell

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on progress in achieving booked admissions across the NHS. [43740]

Mr. Hutton

The National Booked Admissions Programme began in 1998. Every acute NHS trust is now booking patients in at least two specialties or high volume procedures. By the end of March 2002 more than five million patients will have benefited from the programme.

A fourth wave of the programme, "Moving to Mainstream", began in September 2001 and will shift booked admissions to mainstream NHS activity.