§ Dr. FoxTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what the estimated cost to date is of the introduction of the Cardiology NUF; and what estimates have been made of future cost implications. [80953]
§ Ms BlearsThe national service framework for coronary heart disease is a programme for improving services for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of the disease.
The Department does not collect figures on the cost of national health service services, which enables an accurate global figure for the cost of tackling a particular disease to be calculated. The great majority of spending on services for coronary heart disease is contained within primary care trust unified allocations. It is for primary care trusts, in partnership with NHS trusts and other local stakeholders, to determine how best to use their funds to meet national and local priorities for improving health, tackling health inequalities and modernising services.