Parents: Advisory Services

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what help and support the NHS offers couples considering parenthood. [48464]

Anne Milton: The NHS Choices website:

www.nhs.uk

publishes a wide range of information for people considering parenthood including preconceptual care, planning for a healthy pregnancy and choosing the best options for maternity care.

Surgery

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what plans he has to support professional societies in surgery and medicine in the development of surgical audits and patient outcome data; [48050]

(2) if he will take steps to ensure that guidelines of the European Society for Cardiothoracic Surgery on when patients with multi-vessel coronary artery disease should be recommended for coronary artery surgery or a percutaneous coronary intervention are implemented in the NHS. [48051]

Mr Simon Burns: In recognition of the role audit plays in driving up quality and delivering improved outcomes for patients the NHS White Paper commits

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the Coalition to extending clinical audit to more conditions and a wider range of interventions.

In 2011-12 the Department will make another £1.2 million available for up to four new national clinical audits. The topic selection for these new audits has started—led by the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership. The intention is that the topics are aligned to the Outcomes Framework and National Institute for

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Health and Clinical Excellence Quality Standards and where significant improvements in health outcomes might be achievable.

The Department is working with the professional societies and NHS Improvement to ensure that there is appropriate multi-disciplinary decision making and patient involvement in decisions about their care, as set out in the European Society for Cardiology guidelines.