§ 44. Mr. N. Nicolsonasked the Minister of Health how low the average number of patients per doctor must be in an urban area before the Medical Practices Committee declares the area to be restricted against the entry of new doctors.
§ Miss Hornsby-SmithAn urban area is not normally classified as "restricted"—that is, an area where there is already a sufficient number of doctors in general practice and the admission of new doctors will, therefore, be exceptional—if the average number of patients per doctor in that area is more than 1,500.
§ Mr. NicolsonIs it not the fact that where the average number of patients per doctor is as low as this, if new doctors are introduced into such an area they confer upon the patients no additional benefits but are driven into an unwelcome form of competition against each other for new patients?
§ Miss Hornsby-SmithMy hon. Friend sounds as if he is suggesting the direction of doctors. According to the survey, the average number in that area is 1,773, and these general limits were fixed in consultation with the General Medical Services Committee of the British Medical Association.