Sir Barnett Stross: I welcome the intervention of my hon. Friend the Member for Wandsworth, Central (Dr. David Kerr). It is the experience of those who have worked in this sphere that there are plenty of people willing to help. The problem is that we have no knowledge of the existence of old and lonely people at the time when there are those available who are ready to help. The experience of my hon. Friend would...
Sir Barnett Stross: The hon. and gallant Member for Harrow, East (Commander Courtney) must have been misinformed about his constituent having all the teeth he should have had in his lower jaw. That is what the hon. and gallant Member inferred. I have here a diagram of the condition of Mr. Smith's teeth when he was examined by the dental officer, and it seems to me, if I read it rightly, that Mr. Smith had four...
Sir Barnett Stross: This, I understood, was his case. I am now giving the case as reported by the Executive Council. The Executive Council then asked the dentist, who also received a copy of the dental officer's report, whether he was prepared to provide Mr. Smith with new dentures as recommended by the dental officer. But the dentist preferred to withdraw from the case. The hon. and gallant Gentleman knows...
Sir Barnett Stross: I believe that another tooth was filled by the second dentist. Perhaps this, in part, would explain why there was a further expense. This was separate from the extraction or fitting of the dentures. On the question of withdrawing, it is a technical term meaning that he no longer wished to defend the quality of the service given by way of the dentures. That means that he did not ask for...
Sir Barnett Stross: Population changes are taken into account in planning the hospital services for any area.
Sir Barnett Stross: It is true that there are no maternity beds in Smallwood Hospital, Redditch, which is a general practitioner hospital of 32 beds. Specialist services, including maternity, for the population in the Redditch area are now provided at the Bromsgrove General Hospital, where there are 411 beds, including 45 maternity beds. The hospital is 10 miles from Redditch where the population is now 35,000...
Sir Barnett Stross: My right hon. Friend is aware that the facilities are inadequate. Developments at St. James's Hospital will improve them over the next year or two.
Sir Barnett Stross: I am not certain whether that follows, but it is a fact that the board recognises that in Leeds the position is worse than elsewhere in the region and is not helped by the fact that in the teaching hospital the existing accommodation is so restricted that we can expect but little help from there.
Sir Barnett Stross: 2,330 at 30th September, 1964.
Sir Barnett Stross: I am sure that my hon. Friend is right. The situation is not satisfactory. Gynaecological cases have been increasing, but there is some reason for this. Some help may come quite soon. The operating wards are old and unsatisfactory and there has been illness among the medical staff. New theatres will be made available, I think in May next year, and that should help the position very considerably.
Sir Barnett Stross: This is an allegation which has been heard in the House on many occasions before. I should be greatly obliged if my hon. Friend would send me particulars of that case. I am sure that my right hon. Friend and I would be glad to take action on matters of that type.
Sir Barnett Stross: My right hon. Friend is considering what might be done when the amount of casualty work at individual cottage hospitals is exceptionally heavy.
Sir Barnett Stross: It is particularly in places like Cornwall, Devon and Dorset that the amount of work is very heavy in the summer due to the influx of visitors. In these cases, general practitioners have asked for additional payments for the extra work involved. This is being looked at now.
Sir Barnett Stross: I cannot tell the hon. Member the exact date.
Sir Barnett Stross: Boards have been asked to plan the redevelopment and staffing of accident and emergency services in the light of advice given by the Standing Medical Advisory Committee and by the Working Party on Hospital Medical Staffing Structure.
Sir Barnett Stross: That is a point that I had not considered, but I will certainly give it consideration now that it has been brought to my attention.
Sir Barnett Stross: What we have in mind is that all injured persons who require hospital treatment should be taken direct to accident and emergency units staffed and equipped to deal immediately with major injuries and other emergency cases at any hour of the day or night. This would result in a substantial reduction in the existing number of accident and emergency units and provide us with units which would...
Sir Barnett Stross: No, Sir. The Whitley Council agreement on these payments does not include student nurses.
Sir Barnett Stross: Of course, any revision of the agreement which now exists to include student nurses would be a matter not for my right hon. Friend or for me but for the Nurses and Midwives Whitley Council. Night and Sunday duty is an integral part of the training of student nurses.
Sir Barnett Stross: This information is published annually in the Registrar General's Statistical Review of England and Wales, Part I, Medical Tables.