§ 16. Mr. Rankinasked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether all hospitals in Glasgow and the West of Scotland were notified of the presence of smallpox contacts in their areas during the recent outbreak; and why the late Dr. Janet Fleming, while suffering from a virulent form of smallpox, was admitted in the ordinary way as a patient to Hairmyres Hospital, Lanarkshire, and remained there for three days under observation, during which period responsible medical authorities had in their possession official notification that she was a smallpox contact.
Mr. McNeilAs the answer is necessarily lengthy I will, with permission, circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.
§ Mr. RankinI wonder if my right hon. Friend could answer two points now? First, could he say how many contacts originated from Dr. Fleming's case; and secondly, is he completely satisfied that the handling of this outbreak in its initial stages does not merit further and closer inquiry?
Mr. McNeilI could not answer the first point without notice. As to the second point, I am as keenly as I can examining the outbreak in all its aspects. I do not want anyone to think I am satisfied with the arrangements but, on the other hand, I want to make it quite clear that such gaps as there were should not occasion public alarm. There were no great gaps, but naturally I would welcome any assistance of hon. Gentlemen in perfecting this scheme.
761 The following is the reply:
It is the function of the medical officers of health to keep all known smallpox contacts in their areas under observation. and they would at once notify any hospital to which such a person was removed. As an additional precaution every hospital throughout the West of Scotland was informed by the Western Regional Hospital Board immediately smallpox had been diagnosed in Knightswood Hospital, and they were asked to be on the lookout for possible secondary cases among new patients. Dr. Fleming was admitted to Hairmyres Hospital, suffering from a condition diagnosed as an acute abdominal one, on the morning of 27th March before anyone in Hamilton knew that she was a smallpox contact. As soon as it was known that she was a smallpox contact, the hospital authorities made special clinical and laboratory examinations. This evidence, I am assured, was thought to exclude a diagnosis of smallpox. At a later stage, however, the development of her illness indicated that she was suffering from an unusual form of smallpox and she was at once removed to the smallpox hospital, where unfortunately she died.
§ 29. Mr. Carmichaelasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the recent outbreak of smallpox in Scotland; and if he will examine the possibility of having all infectious disease hospitals managed by the local authorities so that one authority will be responsible for the entire administrative duties necessary to combat and eliminate infectious diseases.
Mr. McNeilThere is nothing to add to the statement made by my hon. Friend in reply to the hon. Member for Darwen (Mr. Prescott) last Thursday.
In the light of experience during the recent outbreak, I am reviewing the arrangements for co-operation between hospitals and public health departments with particular reference to the control of infectious disease. I have, however, no reason to think that it is necessary to rearrange hospital services in the fashion suggested.
§ Mr. CarmichaelMay I ask my right hon. Friend not to close his mind to the possibility of that, because he has already 762 admitted that he will examine the problem. If he does that, I hope he will realise that one of the problems here was that two organisations were attempting to deal with this serious problem—the regional board and the local authority —and that means bad organisation.
Mr. McNeilI quite gladly repeat the admission I have made, but the most obvious flaw was not a lack of liaison between these two services.