Milburn to give French lesson

Health secretary Alan Milburn was due to meet his French counterpart, Bernard Kouchner, on Tuesday to discuss 'areas of mutual interest', including the treatment of British patients in France.

As HSJ went to press, a Department of Health spokesperson said topics likely to be under discussion could include the roles of the Commission for Health Improvement and the National Institute for Clinical Excellence.He said the bodies were 'seen as world leaders in terms of health policy', but would not be drawn on whether British patients treated abroad might be given the same protection as they have here, or whether France was looking to bring in similar systems of inspection and assessment.

The ministers will discuss pilot schemes already under way in Kent, but are unlikely to make any decision to expand the initiatives until more information about their success was available, the DoH stressed.