Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Bill

Part of the debate – in the House of Lords at 4:00 pm on 13 October 2003.

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Photo of Baroness Finlay of Llandaff Baroness Finlay of Llandaff Crossbench 4:00, 13 October 2003

Noble Lords have highlighted the tremendous importance of partnership in the provision of high quality services. Indeed, it is in cancer par excellence that that is demonstrated. For example, the number of patients requiring upper gastro-intestinal cancer surgery each year is small, which means that patients need to be concentrated in order to develop a centre of expertise. Over the years, there has been a great deal of evidence that hospitals performing one or two oesophagectomies per annum have much worse results than those performing a critical number with an experienced team around them.

Currently, there are partnership agreements in place. What assurances are there that these partnership agreements will remain in place and will be respected? So far, I am not clear how bad co-operation must be for it to be deemed non-co-operation and to cause the regulator to intervene. I am uncertain, too, at what point the national clinical director will be consulted for opinions about the quality of service and whether developments within a foundation trust may jeopardise the quality of service in other parts of the NHS within a clinical network.