§ 3. Mr. Boydenasked the Minister of Health how many therapeutic dietitians and student therapeutic dietitians, respectively, are now employed in the hospital service.
§ Mr. BraineOne hundred and eighty-two whole-time equivalents last September. The number of students attached to hospitals is not known.
§ Mr. BoydenIs not the rate of increase in therapeutic dietitians even worse than the rate of increase in almoners? Do not these figures disclose that a good many general hospitals, probably the majority, have not got anybody devoted to this work?
§ Mr. BraineI quite agree. Again, there is a shortage here. Sixty-eight students started training in England and Wales in the autumn of last year: this is some improvement. There are now six institutions in England and Wales running courses to train dietitians. New courses for school leavers have started in recent years at Leeds and Llandaff. I agree that there is a need to recruit still more.