§ Mr. Baron:To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage he estimates of the specialist stroke units in operation by April 2004 will be fully operational and staffed. [131213]
§ Dr. Ladyman:We monitor progress against the key milestones in the national service framework (NSF) for older people. From the information gathered so far, we know that 83 per cent. of the hospitals which have replied now have plans to have a specialist stroke service in place by April 2004.
Our document, "Improvement, Expansion and Reform", which sets for the national health service a priorities and planning framework for 2003–06, makes clear that implementation of the NSF is a top priority and that the 2004 milestone around specialist stroke services is a key target.
99WTuesday 14 October 2003