§ Mr. Eadieasked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what future plans he has for the use of computers in regional hospital boards in Scotland for specific medical purposes;
(2) what future plans he has for the use of computers in regional hospital boards in Scotland, and in which regions.
§ Mr. RossComputers are at present used by the Eastern, South-Eastern and Western Regional Hospital Boards for various kinds of medical work including statistical analyses of certain types of treatment and investigation, and, in the 107W Western Region, radiotherapy dosage calculations, as well as for payroll, accounting and allied work. In addition, the computer at the Scottish Medical Automation Centre, which I established in association with Elliott Medical Automation Ltd., is used to assist in various types of clinical investigation.
The use of computers by regional boards is primarily a matter for the boards themselves, but I expect that there will be further developments on these lines and 1 am keeping in close touch with regional boards about the situation.