§ Mr. Burstow:To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department has met (a) milestones one to four for primary care management of heart failure and (b) milestones one to three for hospitals admitting patients for the management of heart failure in the national service framework for coronary heart disease. [142242]
§ Miss Melanie Johnson:The national health service has made good progress on the milestones for management of heart failure. We have made the improvement of care for patients with heart failure a major priority in the next phase of implementation of the coronary heart disease (CHD) national service framework (NSF). The importance of tackling service improvement in this area is reflected in the 2003–06 Priorities and Planning Framework targets for CHD:
769WImprove the management of patients with heart failure in line with the NICE Clinical Guideline due in 2003, and set local targets for the consequent reduction in patients admitted to hospital with a diagnosis of heart failure.The National Institute for Clinical Excellence guideline was published in July this year and, combined with the new general medical services contract, will be a significant driver in improving services for heart failure patients and meeting the NSF standard.