Written question asked by Sandra Gidley (Liberal Democrat) on Wednesday, 28 October 2009, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 2 November 2009. It was answered by Ann Keen (Labour) on Wednesday, 4 November 2009 on behalf of the Department of Health.

Health: Screening

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what steps his Department is taking to ensure consistency in relation to the choice of providers offered in respect of NHS health checks by primary care trusts;

Answer: It is for primary care trusts to commission the necessary services, as they are best placed to understand the needs of their local population. Currently, no data are collected centrally by the Department on which settings primary care trusts (PCTs) are commissioning NHS Health Checks to take place in or on the accessibility of NHS Health Checks in general practitioner practices. The Pharmacy Services Negotiating Committee has however recently undertaken a survey of Local Pharmaceutical Committees (LPCs). Approximately two thirds of LPCs replied to the survey. The results showed that, of those primary care trusts that responded, 54 per cent. are either using or intending to use community pharmacy at this stage to help deliver their NHS Health Check programmes.

Secondary information