§ 26. Lord Balnielasked the Minister of Health when it is expected that the Hospital Design Unit will be able to make available to the regional hospital boards designs for standardised geriatric units which can be built quickly and economically.
§ Mr. PowellThe Design Unit produces building notes on the planning of various departments, including chronic sick wards, and is studying standard component parts which might be suitable for many types of hospital building. It is not proposed to design standard hospital departments.
§ Lord BalnielCan my right hon. Friend look at this matter again? In view of the need for large-scale rebuilding of geriatric units, the production of standardised designs for complete units might be very helpful. Will he also consider asking the Design Unit to look at the need for standardised designs for units for the younger chronic sick persons suffering from disseminated sclerosis?
§ Mr. PowellThis is certainly a matter which one must continue to study and experiment with. My view at present, however, is that a standardised design for a whole department might have to be so much modified in different hospitals that it would not be very helpful. It is more useful to standardise the component parts rather than the whole department.