§ Mr. Jon Owen Jones:To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many patients have been referred by the NHS in England to private healthcare providers (a) in Wales, (b) in Scotland, (c) in Northern Ireland, (d) in England and (e) abroad in each of the last five years; [131741]
(2) how much money has been spent by the NHS in England to obtain healthcare from private healthcare providers (a) in England, (b) in Wales, (c) in Scotland, (d) in Northern Ireland and (e) abroad in each of the last five years for which figures are available. [131743]
§ Mr. Hutton:This information is not held centrally, but we are embarking on a major capacity expansion programme including development of treatment centres run by the independent sector.
§ Mr. Jon Owen Jones:To ask the Secretary of State for Health what criteria is used by the NHS in England to decide when to refer a patient to a private healthcare provider for treatment. [131742]
§ Mr. Hutton:The Department has not set any criteria centrally to be used when referring national health service patients for treatment 10 private healthcare providers. Such decisions are taken locally by primary care trusts (PCTs). In such circumstances, the criteria applied by PCTs and under centrally funded choice pilots would usually include the length of time patients have waited, their clinical appropriateness and fitness for referral to an independent provider and value for money (taking into account the availability of alternative capacity). These criteria would also apply to referrals to the new independent sector treatment centres which we are procuring currently but in addition, these will be supplemented by clear clinical pathways, building on those developed as part of the London patient choice project.