§ 82 Sir J. D. REESasked the Secretary to the Treasury (1) why the London Insurance Committee has made arrangements with a medical man who has 6,017 patients on his list for the treatment of these patients, when it is understood that they are to be treated by some one else; (2) why the panel list issued by the London Medical Committee contains the names of those who have not entered into any agreement with any insured persons for the provision of medical attendance and treatment, to whom the committee will not be called upon to pay any fees, and who are 2041 therefore in no sense under the control of the committee; and (3) whether any insured person, who has had a pink card signed by Dr. Salter, of Bermondsey, has any right to treatment except from Dr. Salter or any right of complaint concerning his treatment if it has been given by one of the partners of Dr. Salter; and, if not, whether steps have been taken to inform insured persons that the fact that their pink cards have been signed by Dr. Salter does not give them any right to treatment by him nor any right of making a complaint against one of his partners, although that partner may have been responsible for the treatment?
88. Mr. F. HALLasked whether he is aware that a medical man on the London panel list, who has four partners and 6,017 names on his list, has also an extensive private practice, and is a member of the Bermondsey board of guardians, and that his partners have also private practices; and will he say what steps are taken in such cases to ensure due attention for patients under the National Insurance Act?
§ Mr. MASTERMANA partnership of five doctors appears as a partnership on the published panel for London. Six thousand and seventeen insured persons have chosen this partnership on the understanding that the members of it will be jointly responsible for their treatment; no medical tickets have been signed by Dr. Salter on his own behalf. The average number of insured persons for each member of the firm is only about 1,200, and I have no reason to suppose that the patients will not receive due attention. Insured persons have the same right of complaint against any member of the partnership as there is against any other doctor on the panel.
§ 84. Sir J. D. REESasked why the panel list for the county of London contains the name of a medical practitioner and against it the announcement that he will attend at two different addresses at the same hours every day, namely, from 10 a.m. to 12, without any indication as to where an insured person should apply who is desirous of finding the medical practitioner in question?
§ Mr. MASTERMANI am not aware of the case referred to by the hon. Member; if he has discovered any such clerical error I shall be glad if he would inform me, when I will communicate with the London Insurance Committee.