Health written question – answered at on 9 March 2006.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health
(1) if the £300 million made available for improving sexual health services in 2006–07 and 2007–08 through the Choosing Health White Paper will be ring-fenced; how the spending will be tracked; and if she will make a statement;
(2) pursuant to the answer of 25 October 2005, Official Report, column 263W, on genito-urinary clinics, what steps she is taking to ensure that the additional investment of £130 million goes directly towards improving genito-urinary services and infrastructure in 2006–07 and 2007–08.
It is for primary care trusts (PCTs) to determine how to use the funding allocated to them to commission services to meet the healthcare needs of their local populations. PCTs and strategic health authorities (SHAs) will receive funding for implementing the targets in the White Paper Choosing Health: making healthy choices easier" in their mainstream allocations and we will be monitoring the outcomes through the local delivery plan data lines from this investment. The revenue allocations separately identify funding to support the implementation of Choosing Health. This funding is not ring-fenced. A copy of the White Paper is available in the Library.
Sexual health is one of the top six priorities for the national health service in 2006–07. In particular, by 2008 everyone should be offered an appointment within 48 hours of contacting a genito-urinary medicine clinic. SHAs have submitted plans to meet this target. This increased priority for sexual health should significantly strengthen the incentive for local investment and service modernisation.
In addition, a letter has been sent to SHA chief executives highlighting that when considering any savings from implementing Commissioning a patient led NHS" savings should not be identified from those posts working on implementation of choosing health. This includes posts in frontline services.
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