Written question asked by Mike Penning (Conservative) on Tuesday, 8 November 2005, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 10 November 2005. It was answered by Baroness Winterton of Doncaster (Labour) on Friday, 20 January 2006 on behalf of the Department of Health.

Pathology Departments

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of total sample processing time was spent on (a) administrative procedures and (b) chemical analysis in clinical biochemistry and haematology laboratories within pathology departments in the last year for which figures are available; and if she will make a statement.

Answer: The Department does not collect this information. However, we recognise the importance of pathology to patient care and we have asked Lord Carter of Coles to conduct an independent review of pathology services. Its terms of reference are"““to advise Ministers, in the context of current resource constraints, on the timeliness, reliability, capacity and efficiency of current pathology services in England, benchmarked against international standards and the feasibility of and efficiency benefits arising from wide-scale service reconfiguration, innovation and modernisation and involvement of the private sector””."The review will consider the workings of pathology laboratories in all disciplines.

Secondary information