Categories: Issue archive
Date: Mar 5, 2009
Title: NHS Support Federation report cited in Parliament debate
Richard Taylor MP referred to our report, Is the public shaping the future of their NHS? in a Westminster Hall debate NHS (Co-operation/Competition) on 24 February 2009.Reported in Hansard, 24 February 2009:
....the NHS Support Federation has recently compiled a report on public consultations around GP-led health centres. The executive summary says:
“A survey of all 152 PCTs showed that there were wide variations in the timetables and approach to consulting taken by each PCT and even confusion about the need to consult at all.”
Some of the PCTs said that because it was Government policy, they did not need to consult on it. The report then looked in detail at the consultation of 37 PCTs outside London to consider the consultation process. It said:
“Only 22% of PCTs are explicit in their consultation documents about the fact that a new health centre could be run by a commercial or voluntary sector provider.”
“2/3 of PCTs do not ask local people whether they agree with the overall plan for a GP-led health centre; 16% provided less than 12 weeks for responses...only 16% of PCTs asked about the importance of the distance of travel to the new health centre”.
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200809/cmhansrd/cm090224/halltext/90224h0010.htm