MATERNITY SERVICES (Hansard, 1 March 1962)

§ BARONESS SUMMERSKILL
My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.

§ LORD NEWTON
My Lords, the amending Regulations came into operation on January 1, 1961.

§ BARONESS SUMMERSKILL
My Lords, perhaps it may be my mistake, but the noble Lord has interpreted my Question incorrectly
I am not, of course, asking about what happened a year ago. I am asking about the regulations being introduced, and if the noble Lord relates this to the third line of my Question as it appears on the Order Paper, it will be obvious that I mean "introduced into the National Health Service". Is the noble Lord not aware that last month his Ministry agreed that certain provisions in these regulations should be modified to such an extent that the number of times doctors were expected to be asked to visit mothers was to be reduced; and, furthermore, that his officials agreed that the important Memorandum issued by his Advisory Council on Midwifery and Maternity Services would be modified? Would the noble Lord look into this, in view of the recommendations of the Cranbrook Committee, of the Royal Commission and of this Memorandum, to the effect that the maternity service of this country should be improved?

§ LORD NEWTON
My Lords, the noble Baroness asked me why the new maternity service regulations are not introduced—I imagine she meant "had not been introduced"—following upon the Royal Commission's Report; and my reply was that they came into operation on January 1, 1961. These regulations were the result of a package deal which was made as a result of the Report of the Royal Commission, and were agreed with representatives of the medical profession before they came into operation. Since January 1 of last year, it is perfectly true that there has been mounting criticism within the profession, mainly on the ground that the regulations go into too much detail and to that extent represent too much of a direction as to the sort of professional care doctors should give their patients. Consequently, the terms of service incorporated in these regulations are now being discussed between my right honourable friend and the profession. I should emphasise that it is my right honourable friend's intention that the revision of the regulations shall not result in any lowering of the quality of service required.

§ VISCOUNT ALEXANDER OF HILLSBOROUGH
My Lords, may I ask whether the result of these regulations has been that often a doctor who should be in charge of a case does not see the patient, or certainly does not attend during childbirth; and if so is he paid the fee for what he did not do?

§ LORD NEWTON
My Lords, I could read out to the House and the noble Viscount exactly what the Regulations are, but it would take me a very long time. They go into very great detail indeed. Of course, the fees which a doctor gets for performing these maternity medical services are dependent on exactly how much treatment and what sort of treatment he gives in each particular case.

§ BARONESS SUMMERSKILL
My Lords, is the noble Lord aware that what my noble friend said is quite correct? The purpose of the new regulations was to ensure that, wherever possible, the doctor should attend the mother at her confinement. Nobody should be able to argue about this. Yet in the last month the Minister has been discussing these details anew and promising to make modifications, which will diminish the strength of these important regulations which were introduced to protect the mothers of this country.

§ LORD NEWTON
My Lords, let me say again that it is my right honourable friend's intention that any revision of the regulations which follows the review which is now going on with the profession shall not result in any lowering of the quality of the service required of doctors.

§ LORD TAYLOR
My Lords, is not the point that we should increase the quality of the service required, particularly in respect of ante-natal care? Will the Minister have regard to the need for better standards of ante-natal care in return for these fees by, at any rate, some practitioners? Many are doing it properly, but some are not.

§ LORD NEWTON
My Lords, I am sure that my right honourable friend will always have regard to improving all forms of service provided by the National Health Service as a whole.

§ BARONESS SUMMERSKILL
My Lords, may I just ask the noble Lord to go into the Library and read this week's copy of the British Medical Journal? He will see there what his Department has promised to do, which I say will diminish the strength of these regulations.

§ LORD DERWENT
My Lords, as these discussions are still going on, how can anyone say whether these services will be improved or worsened?