§ 12. Mr. Mayhewasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what action he has taken following the report of the Hospital Advisory Service on Stoke Park Hospital; and in what form he proposes to make the contents of the report available to the hospital staff.
§ Sir K. JosephCopies of the report were distributed to the Regional Hospital Board and their chief officers and to the Hospital Management Committee. All senior staff at the hospital received copies; the report was also made available to all nurses in charge of wards and a summary of the main recommendations was shown to junior staff. As a result of policy decisions before the Hospital Advisory Service report and of its recommendations, revenue for the Stoke Park Group has risen in real terms by 29 per cent. since March, 1969. In addition capital improvements to the value of about £1 million have been or are being made at hospitals in the Group. Present conditions in the older wards are however still very unsatisfactory. New beds at Gloucester and temporary wards in the Stoke Park Group are being provided to relieve overcrowding in them. Staffing has steadily improved and the Board expects to maintain the rate of increase.
§ Mr. MayhewIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that conditions in some of the wards, which were described to viewers in a remarkable BBC film recently, are utterly disgraceful and unacceptable? Why was the report with the right hon. Gentleman for six months before he took action on it? Why was it left for a small group of hospital nurses to raise the matter publicly?
§ Sir K. JosephThe right hon. Gentleman falls far below his usual standards of fairness on this question. The overcrowding in the wards that I understand were shown on television is very severe. That is why new temporary wards in 1117 the hospital and further beds outside the hospital are being urgently provided as part of the £1 million extra capital expenditure of which I spoke, in order to relieve the worst of the overcrowding. As for action on the report, extra revenue and capital have been allocated, and were starting to be spent before the report, and both were stepped up after it.
§ Mrs. CastleAfter that great eulogy of his of what is being done, can the right hon. Gentleman tell us how many of the report's 60 proposals for dealing with what it described as squalid and unhygienic conditions have been or will be implemented, and when?
§ Sir K. JosephUp-grading and new building is going on to relieve overcrowding. Extra medical and nursing staffing is available and is increasing. Ventilation is being considered. Laundry, clothing and food have been improved. I could go through many of the smaller items. But there is a flood of HAS reports, trying to catch up with a huge backlog of neglect in these services, and everything cannot be done at once.
§ Mr. MayhewOn a point of order. In view of the unsatisfactory nature of the right hon. Gentleman's reply, I propose to raise the matter again