§ Ms BuckTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effect of a person's ethnicity on their access to public services within the responsibilities of his Department. [143577]
§ Miss Melanie JohnsonThe Department is committed to transforming the health and social care system so that it produces faster, fairer services with equity of access for all.
The most extensive survey on the health of minority ethnic groups ever carried out in England was published in February 2001. The 1999 "Health Survey for England" identified significant health inequalities among people from black and minority ethnic communities and found higher rates of general practitioner consultations for minority ethnic groups.
The Department recognises that, as the frequent gateway to other national health service services, access to general practice services for all populations is of primary importance. The 2002 NHS Patient's Survey, based on a sample obtained from the electoral register and with 145,000 responses, found that at least 99 per cent. of people from each ethnic group were registered with a GP.
Since 2003, these surveys have been carried out by individual NHS organisations but are collated and analysed at the national level by the Commission for Health Improvement (CHI).
Equality of access is also central to the Department's policy on social services and the Personal Social Services Performance Assessment Framework indicators provide statistical overview of social services performance in key areas including fair access.
The Department has made a commitment to the collection of ethnic origin information using the 2001 Census categories and has guidance in place to ensure that consideration of the collection of relevant race equality information is part of the process of establishing all new central data sets.
The creation of more equal access for black and minority ethnic people is an integral and vital aspect of the Department's programme of investment and reform. "Building on the Best, Choice Responsiveness and Equity in the NHS", December 2003, aims to promote equality of access to health care for all and sets the challenge of providing high quality, accessible services that meet the individual needs of an increasingly 854W diverse population while also being underpinned by the values of fairness and equity. Copies are available in the Library.