§ Mr. GardinerTo ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will provide financial assistance to the setting up(a) in England and (b) in Brent of Data Link schemes for paramedics to obtain details of a person's medical history. [136640]
§ Mr. HuttonAccess by paramedics to patients' medical history (subject to appropriate security and confidentiality safeguards) will be included in the core functionality of the integrated care records service (ICRS) that will be implemented across the National Health Service, beginning in 2004 as part of the national programme for information technology in the NHS. Local service providers are being appointed to work with local health communities to deliver solutions tailored to specific local needs.
Central funding for the National Programme for IT in the NHS, of which the ICRS is one component, is to be made available as follows—£370 million in 2003–04, £730 million in 2004–05 and £1.2 billion in 2005–06.
There is also some £850 million per annum provided in local baseline allocations that must be used to support investment in IT infrastructure or particular local priorities. If there is specific functionality required in Brent or elsewhere, and local circumstances or priorities dictate that it will be required sooner than ICRS will be rolling it out nationally, then local funds should be used to procure and provide that application, system or service.
Funding for local initiatives is a matter for the relevant strategic health authority and primary care trusts.