HC Deb 29 October 2002 vol 391 cc737-8W
Paul Goggins

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to increase community involvement in the organisation and delivery of NHS services. [75380]

Mr. Lammy

The Department will introduce new systems to build the capacity of communities and hard-to-reach groups, so they can influence the way the national health service works.

Number of deaths related to drug misuse1 England and Wales, 19932 to 2000
1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000
Deaths 864 1,002 1,100 1,247 1,302 1,459 1,568 1,662
1 These data relate to deaths where the underlying cause of death is poisoning, drug abuse or drug dependence and where any of the substances controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act (1971) are involved.
2 Comparable data are not available for earlier years.

Source:

Death related to drug poisoning: England and Wales 1993–2000Health Statistic Quarterly 13, Spring 2002, Office for National Statistics:ONS database of drug-related poisonings. Available on the internet at http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme health/HSQ13 v4.pdf

A new national body—The Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health—will be established during next year. Patients' forums will be set up in every NHS trust and primary care trust, to directly involve many thousands of people in the organisation and delivery of NHS services. They will work in local communities to promote involvement in local decision-making processes by generating interest and empowering people to get involved.

In addition, the Department has launched the Community Engagement Learning Network, a major organisational development programme designed to help PCTs throughout England engage with communities, patients, the public and staff in renewing and improving health services.