Written question asked by Lord Barker of Battle (Conservative) on Monday, 7 April 2003, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 12 May 2003. It was answered by Hazel Blears (Labour) on Monday, 12 May 2003 on behalf of the Department of Health.

Dept of Health

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans his Department has to conduct an investigation into the treatment of stroke patients at Eastbourne District General Hospital since 1992; and if he will make a statement.

Answer: Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans his Department has to conduct an investigation into the treatment of stroke patients at Eastbourne District General Hospital since 1992; and if he will make a statement. [108433] Ms Blears: The Department has no plans to investigate the treatment of stroke patients at Eastbourne District General Hospital. The Commission for Health Improvement (CHI) was set up by the Government to improve the quality of patient care in the National Health Service across England and Wales. CHI started operating on 1 April 2000 and has a programme underway which aims to reduce unacceptable variations in care and ensure that every NHS patient receives a high level of care. The patient's experience is at the heart of CHI's work and one of CHI's four statutory functions is to conduct investigations into serious service failures in the NHS.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 108433; 405 c110-1W;405 c111W
Session: 2002-03
Subjects: NHS Medical treatments Patients Standards Strokes Eastbourne Hospital
Link: View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk