Briefing from the Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman on: Hospital Star Ratings/Alan Milburn and David Kay.
Hospital Star Ratings/Alan Milburn
Asked whether there had been contact between Alan Milburn’s office and Downing Street with regards to star ratings of hospitals in the Prime Minister’s constituency, the Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman (PMOS) reminded journalists that as we had said this morning, Downing Street was not involved in any of those discussions. The important point was that it was Alan Milburn himself who gave responsibility for star ratings to the Commission for Health Improvement (CHI) and that was where they remained.
Asked if he was denying that Alan Milburn had fiddled the figures, the PMOS said that he had nothing to add to what he said this morning, which was that this matter was being dealt with by the Department of Health. As he understood it Mr. Milburn queried the figures in a number of different hospitals throughout the country, not just the ones reported. This was at a time when the star rating system was in its infancy, so it was perfectly proper for the Secretary of State for Health to be asking how certain ratings had been arrived at. The PMOS stressed again that the important point was that the system now was in the hands of an independent body.
Asked how the system could be described as independent if Ministers could query the performance figures, the PMOS said that the transfer to CHI happened after these events, so now the system was different from what it was at the time of these events. The system was now in the hands of a completely independent body.
David Kay
Asked for a reaction to the resignation of David Kay from the Iraq Survey Group, the PMOS said that it was entirely a matter for Mr Kay. The important thing was that the Iraq Survey Group was continuing its valuable work. The PMOS added that he didn’t believe it had been confirmed that David Kay was leaving the ISG.
The PMOS wished the Lobby a happy Christmas.
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