Orders of the Day — Health

Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at 9:34 am on 17 November 1995.

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Photo of Stephen Dorrell Stephen Dorrell The Secretary of State for Health 9:34, 17 November 1995

The hon. Lady is completely missing the point, or is eliding two issues. She talks about choice in the referral by GPs. What she does not talk about is the choice of the health authorities as the separate planners, commissioners, purchasers—whichever word one wants to use—of health care. The key question is whether the health authorities have a choice. In terms of creating accountability within the health service, the question is whether health authorities have a choice as to which hospital or provider meets the needs of a particular population. The key change is to introduce a choice for the health authorities between different providers in order that they can compare the service between different providers and create the incentive for the providers to improve their care.