Clause 1 - English health authorities: change of name
NHS Reform and Health Care Professions Bill
12:45 pm
Mr John Hutton (Minister of State, Department of Health; Barrow and Furness, Labour)
The hon. Gentleman has asked two further questions and it would be appropriate to respond briefly now, rather than to write to him later. He has asked about the arrangements for communicable disease controls and where the CCDCs will be located —at PCT level or strategic health authority level. That is an issue that we are considering. The chief medical officer is advising the Government about that, and we expect to receive his recommendations by the end of the year.
The hon. Gentleman also asked about tertiary centres and specialist commissioning. We are trying to draw a line between NHS bodies with commissioning responsibilities—PCTs—and those without, including the SHAs. The securing of specialist services will be the responsibility of PCTs, working together in collaborative and cooperative ways. It will be the responsibility of the SHA to ensure that satisfactory arrangements are in place to ensure that that process is working. For the next financial year, the current regional specialist commissioning groups will continue to exist, making sure that PCTs can build up the capacity effectively to discharge that function, with clear responsibility to ensure that there is a planned transition and to develop the PCT capacity to commission those services from 2003 onwards.