Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what mechanisms are in place for the monitoring and evaluation of services provided for the diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis (TB); and what steps are taken when primary care trusts do not provide adequate TB services.
Answer
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) published their clinical guidelines on the diagnosis and management of tuberculosis (TB), and measures for its prevention and control, in March 2006. The Department published a Toolkit in June 2007 to help the national health service to implement the key points of the Chief Medical Officer's Action Plan "Stopping Tuberculosis in England" (October 2004) through effective commissioning and delivery of services. A copy of the plan has been placed in the Library. The Toolkit also recommends that TB services should always follow the NICE clinical guidelines when diagnosing and treating patients with TB.The Healthcare Commission (Care Quality Commission from 1 April 2009), as part of its Annual Health Check of NHS organisations, monitors the implementation of NICE guidelines and assesses how the NHS implements delivery of services, including TB services. The organisation and running of local services are matters for local NHS management. Primary care trusts are responsible for procuring TB services to fit their local demography and incidence of TB in their area, and ensuring that those standards are monitored, met and reviewed as part of the commissioning process.