§ 2.36 p.m.
§ LORD AUCKLANDMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ [The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure the provision of adequate facilities to deal expeditiously with accident cases at hospitals during weekends.]
§ THE MINISTER WITHOUT PORTFOLIO (LORD CHAMPION)My Lords, hospital authorities in England and Wales are planning the development and staffing of accident and emergency services in the light of the recommendations of a sub-committee of the Standing Medical Advisory Committee, under the chairmanship of Sir Harry Platt, whose report was published in 1962. The sub-committee recommended the concentration of these services in a pattern of units which would each serve a population of at least 150,000 and which would be fully staffed and equipped to deal immediately with major injuries and other emergency cases at all times of the day or night and on every day of the week; with smaller hospitals receiving less serious cases. These recommendations were commended to hospital authorities by the then Minister of Health. Progress reports from Regional Hospital Boards have recently been called for. In Scotland developments are being planned on broadly similar lines following a Report to the Scottish Health Services Council in 1962.
§ LORD AUCKLANDMy Lords, I thank the noble Lord for that full and fairly reassuring Answer. May I ask him whether he is aware that recently one general hospital in Kent had no one available on a Sunday to answer the telephone at one time in the afternoon, and a patient took the call? Would he not agree that this is a disturbing state of affairs, and could he say whether this Committee will try to ensure that sufficient senior consultants are available, as well as the junior registrars who so often on a Sunday have to cope with serious road accidents?
§ LORD CHAMPIONMy Lords, I was not, of course, aware of the circumstances of the incident which the noble Lord mentioned, and if he will let me have the name of the hospital, the time and so on, I will of course take it up with my right honourable friend. Of course, the job of ensuring that sufficient staffs are available for these hospitals specially marked out for this service is one for the Regional Hospital Boards, and it is their task—and I am sure they are trying to do it—to ensure that this service is adequate.
§ LORD SEGALMy Lords, while the plans outlined by my noble friend are admirable, could not some arrangements also be made in the areas where hospitals are known to be seriously undermanned to cope with weekend casualties by enlisting the help of local practitioners who happen to be on duty in their own practices during the weekend, so that they are available at certain hospitals for emergency accident calls?
§ LORD CHAMPIONMy Lords, this is a suggestion which I will bring to the notice of my right honourable friend. I have not had this suggestion made to me before, but I will certainly see that he receives it for consideration.
§ LORD AUCKLANDMy Lords, arising out of the noble Lord's reply, may I ask him whether he would convey to all these very overworked doctors concerned a very warm tribute for what they are doing at the present time?
§ LORD CHAMPIONCertainly, my Lords.