§ Tim LoughtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the health establishments which have treated NHS patients on the Continent; and which other establishments he plans to use. [98155]
§ Mr. Hutton[holding answer 24 February 2003]: Patients have received treatment in three hospitals in France and eight hospitals in Germany. The French hospitals are Polyclinique de la Louviere, Lille; Institute Calo-Hesdin, Berck sur mer; and Clinique Pasteur, St Chamond. The German hospitals are Lutherhaus, Essen; Eduardus Krankenhaus, Cologne; 528W Henriettenstiftung, Hanover; Das Klinikum, Osnabruck; Gilead, Bielefeld; Endo Klinik, Hamburg; Ostseeklinik, Damp; and a clinic in Celle.
The lead commissioners are currently conducting a procurement process to identify additional overseas capacity. It would be inappropriate to speculate about which other establishments are likely to be used in the future, as this may influence the contracting process.
§ Tim LoughtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 5 February,Official Report, column 316W, on NHS treatment abroad, whether the figure includes payments for search agents identifying suitable health establishments to be used by NHS patients in (a) France and (b) Germany; and which search agents were used in each case and at what cost. [98157]
§ Mr. Hutton[holding answer 24 February 2003]: The figure quoted in the answer of 5 February includes some payment for searches undertaken to identify health establishments. This refers to the hospital used in France, which was identified by the lead commissioner at Kent and Medway health authority. Three separate intermediaries were used to identify suitable hospitals in Germany: Guy's and St Thomas'Trust, Germedic and German Medicine Net.