Health Circulars And Nhs Trusts

EDM number 1274 in 1990-91, proposed by Alice Mahon on 17/10/1991.

That this House condemns the Secretary of State for Health for refusing to instruct the opted-out hospitals to take action on circular HC(91)33 which recommends new decontamination methods to deal with equipment, linen or other surfaces contaminated with Hepatitis B or HIV; notes that the circular demands action from district health authorities and other public health bodies but only offers the circular for information to the trusts; further notes the Minister for Health confirms that `Trusts are operationally independent bodies and are not therefore bound by departmental guidance'; believes this confirms fears that opted-out hospitals are treated by Government as separate from the National Health Service when the Government cannot even insist that instructions for something as crucial as infection control contained in the circular be acted upon by the trusts.

This motion has been signed by a total of 14 MPs.