HC Deb 10 February 1987 vol 110 cc151-2
9. Mr. John Mark Taylor

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will make a statement about the intended role of community health councils and the experience of their activities in practice.

Mrs. Currie

Community health councils are independent statutory bodies with a duty to represent the interests in the Health Service of the public in their districts. Within this broad framework CHCs decide for themselves how to go about their tasks, and we have no plans to change this system.

Mr. Taylor

I thank my hon. Friend for her reply. Will she accept from me that, given the operational role of the health authorities and the strategic role of the regions, some CHCs are struggling to find a role for themselves and resort to casting around to find things to complain about?

Mrs. Currie

I am sure that my hon. Friend would join me in deploring any suggestion that the CHCs were looking for something to do or would even dream of opposing for opposing's sake. In many parts of the country the CHCs have proved themselves to be extremely useful and valuable. We have no plans at the moment to abolish them or change them in any way.

Mrs. Clwyd

Is it not the case that community health councils were set up originally as watchdogs for the patients and that as a result of gross underfunding they have neither the bark nor bite any more?

Mrs. Currie

No, I would not agree with that. The CHCs spend a substantial amount of money, about £35,000 per CHC—a total of nearly £7 million—just for the role that has been identified. As I said a moment ago, in many cases they have proved their worth.

Mr. Latham

Is my hon. Friend aware that, far from looking for something to do, the community health council in my constituency is quite rightly criticising the Trent regional health authority for trying to shut down rural maternity units? Will she make sure that that is not a policy that is supported by her Department?

Mrs. Currie

When a community health council objects to a major change, as proposed by the regional health authority and the district health authority, the matter must come to Ministers for consideration. I assure my hon. Friend that we give the closest consideration to each individual case.

Mr. Corbett

Given that community health councils are closer to patients and their needs than either district or regional health authorities, can the Minister say why so little notice is taken of them by the health authorities at district or regional level?

Mrs. Currie

As a former chairman of a health authority before I came to this House, I disagree with the premise behind the hon. Gentleman's question.