§ 18 and 19. Mr. Turtonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) whether he will re-examine the rôle of the general practitioner in the hospital service;
(2) whether he will initiate proposals for the provision of additional hospital accommodation where the elderly sick can be treated under the care of their own family doctors.
§ Mr. CrossmanThe rôle of the general practitioner in the hospital service has been expanding, especially in maternity work, and is now receiving consideration by a number of committees of the Central Health Services Council and of the Standing Advisory Committees. I will further study the position in the light of their reports.
§ Mr. TurtonWould not it be more efficient, humane and economical for the elderly sick to be cared for in small general practitioner hospitals, instead of in large, consultant-run hospitals far from the patients' homes, which results from the policy of closing small hospitals?
§ Mr. CrossmanIt would be fair to say that the policy of regionalisation, with the big district hospital, is one which we inherited from our predecessors. I am looking at it with a critical eye because of various problems, but I have no doubt whatsoever that in terms of modern scientific advance and medical efficiency we must recognise that there are a large number of operations and treatments which must take place in that kind of hospital. The problem of geriatrics is a special one. I favour the idea of moving them out of the hospital service altogether, but that requires the local authority to have not only the will but the cash to do so.
§ Lord BalnielDoes the Secretary of State recognise that it is often false economy to close small hospitals, which can be used admirably by the general practitioner to care for elderly patients?
§ Mr. CrossmanI repeat, the closure of small hospitals did not start with this Government. I and my Minister of State personally, as did our predecessors, supervise each closure and look carefully at it, with a very sympathetic eye from this point of view.