Medical Services (Hansard, 7 May 2002)

§ Ms Blears

The NHS Plan recognises that we live in a diverse society and sets out as core principles that the national health service will shape its services around the needs of the patient, be responsive to the needs of different groups and individuals within society and challenge discrimination on the grounds of age, gender, ethnicity, religion, disability and sexuality.

	1997–98	1998–99,	1999–2000	2000–01
Royal Shrewsbury Hospital NHS Trust	50,947	53,611	53,845	54,489
Princess Royal Hospital NHS Trust	23,288	24,311	25,660	26,418
Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust	7,148	8,431	8,832	9,307
Shropshire Community and Mental Health Services NHS Trust	1,680	4,449	4,297	4,301

102W

The NHS Plan sets out a target of having translation and interpreting services available throughout the country by 2003. The Department has designated NHS Direct as the gateway to the whole NHS for those whose first language is not English by 2003. These services will be a pivotal building block in achieving the patient-centred services envisaged in the NHS Plan and the targets set in the national service frameworks. The development of telephone based support via NHS Direct and organisations such as language line (used in the NHS walk-in centres) offer alternatives to help with the delivery of languages needed in a co-ordinated way.

The vital connection also sets out the need for local health and other organisations to develop integrated communication strategies as part of the health improvement and modernisation plans.

Also, the NHS Plan includes a commitment that from 2002 it will be a pre-condition of qualification to delivering care in the NHS, that an individual has demonstrated competence in communications with patients. Plans to deliver on this target include the development of core curriculum in communication skills.

It is the responsibility of primary care trusts to ensure that the local health service reflects the needs of local communities.