Written question asked by Mark Simmonds (Conservative) on Tuesday, 1 December 2009, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 3 December 2009. It was answered by Ann Keen (Labour) on Wednesday, 9 December 2009 on behalf of the Department of Health.

Heart Diseases: Health Services

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department plans to take in response to the National Specialist Commissioning Group's document for designation of Grown-Ups with Congenital Heart Disease Specialist Centres; and if he will make a statement.

Answer: Designation of specialised services such as services for Grown Ups with Congenital Heart Disease is a formal process of checking that service providers meet certain standards and that services are able to meet demand and to deliver the best possible outcomes for patients and are good value for money. The service specification standards included in the Grown Up with Congenital Heart Disease designation document have been drawn up to assist this process by providing a common set of criteria against which services can be assessed. It is the responsibility of the 10 Specialised Commissioning Groups in England working on behalf of their constituent primary care trusts to decide on the relative priority of work on the specialised services within their designation programmes.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 502 c479W; 304418
Session: 2009-10
Related items: Heart Diseases: Health Services
Wednesday, 13 January 2010
Written questions
House of Commons
Subjects: Health services Heart diseases
Link: View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk