Oral question asked in the House of Lords, by Viscount Simon (Labour). It was answered on Thursday, 18 December 2008.

Health: Physicians

Question: My Lords, on the basis that one size does not fit all, how will the Government cope with different needs in different areas?

Answer: My Lords, my noble friend is absolutely right. As proposed by my noble friend Lord Darzi in his report, we anticipate that successfully shifting services closer to home will result in services being more convenient for patients and service users. For example, with conditions like diabetes, which is increasing in the population, we anticipate that community-based services will play a more prominent role. Providing care closer to home can improve patient recovery, which ends repeated trips to hospital and gives more personalised service.

Secondary information