Oral Answers to Questions

David Evennett Excerpts

Tuesday 26th April 2011 Commons Chamber

[Anne Milton]

Families of children with disabilities and special needs will welcome the single, co-ordinated assessment. We have to see health and social care working more closely together, because those families bear a considerable burden of care. I would point the hon. Lady towards the consultation, and I suggest that she points her constituents towards it as well, as it is extremely important that we get their feedback.

[Mr David Evennett (Bexleyheath and Crayford) (Con)]

22. What steps he is taking to extend the choice that patients have over the treatment they receive from the NHS.

[The Minister of State, Department of Health (Mr Simon Burns)]

The Government have consulted on proposals to give patients greater choice and control over their care and treatment. We have deferred publication of our response to take into account the results of the listening exercise.

[Mr Evennett]

I thank my right hon. Friend for that answer and refer him to the King’s Fund paper, “Patient choice”, which was published in March 2010. Does he agree that people value being able to choose and that the exercise of choice raises standards and encourages NHS providers to design services around patients and their needs?

[Mr Burns]

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. I am certainly aware of the King’s Fund publication. The report was cited as a key source of evidence in the consultation document, “Liberating the NHS”. The Department of Health welcomes this significant contribution to the evidence base, which will inform how we implement the choice commitments set out in the White Paper, “Equity and excellence: Liberating the NHS”.