§ 1. Dr. Summerskillasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will withdraw his approval of means tests made by local authorities upon patients requiring the adaptation of their homes to install artificial kidney machines, as given in Circular 2/68.
§ The Secretary of State for Social Services (Mr. Richard Crossman)I do not think it would be justifiable to adopt my hon. Friend's suggestion.
§ Dr. SummerskillWill my right hon. Friend bear in mind that, all the time the local authority is deciding whether to finance help for a patient, that patient is occupying a bed in hospital while 2,000 kidney patients requiring urgent treatment are awaiting admission? This causes a serious delay in the admission of kidney patients to hospital beds.
§ Mr. CrossmanYes, I appreciate the disadvantages of the division between the social services, paid for by rates, and the National Health Service, paid 796 for by taxes. This is one of the things which we hope to deal with in our reform of the Health Service.