§ Mr. BurstowTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the expert patient programme; and what plans his Department has to extend the programme. [164869]
§ Miss Melanie JohnsonThe expert patients programme provides training in self-management for patients with chronic conditions and helps build informed partnerships between patients and health and social care professionals. The programme is currently being piloted within primary care trusts in England. The report, entitled:The Expert Patient: A New Approach to 426W Chronic Disease Management for the 21st Century, which was published in September 2001, commits us to making the programme integral to mainstream National Health Service healthcare provision between 2004 and 2007.