§ Stephen HesfordTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress is being made in the performance management of the public health function; and if he will make a statement. [148609]
§ Miss Melanie JohnsonThe Health and Social Care Act 2003 imposes a duty on the national health service to put and keep in place arrangements for monitoring and improving the quality of health care including the promotion and protection of public health. Strategic health authorities have the role of performance managing primary care trusts (PCTs) and NHS hospital trusts, including their public health responsibilities.
The targets in the Priorities and Planning Framework, 2003–06, published in October 2002, and the performance indicators for PCTs (for example, those for 2003–04, published by the Commission for 331W Health Improvement in December 2003), include several related to public health. 2003–04 will be the second year for PCT ratings and this represents real progress in the performance management of public health. The Commission for Healthcare Audit and Inspection will take over responsibility for the ratings process from April 2004.
§ Mr. BurstowTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what arrangements have been made to collect and analyse the annual reports of directors of public health; and what guidance he has given to ensure comparability between reports. [144792]
§ Miss Melanie JohnsonStrategic health authorities are responsible for agreeing local national health service plans informed by these reports. In 2002 the Department of Health commissioned guidance for directors of public health on the production of their Annual Reports, which was published in 2003 by the Faculty of Public Health. We are in discussion with SHAs about ways of assessing the impact of these reports, in their performance management role.