Mr. Edward M. Taylorasked the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many places for adults and children, respectively, are available for the treatment of epilepsy in units provided by regional hospital boards, local authorities and private bodies, respectively; and what was the comparable number of places five years ago.
§ Mr. RossWithin the hospital service, patients suffering from epilepsy are not at present treated in special units and no places for treatment are provided by local authorities. There is one voluntary home which provides long-term care for sufferers from epilepsy; local authorities make use of this facility on payment. The home has about 100 places for adults and 40 for children; there has been little expansion in the past five years, but a new unit for 24 patients is to be completed within the next few months.
Mr. Edward M. Taylorasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what progress has been made in implementing the recommendations contained in the Report of the Sub-Committee of the Standing Medical Advisory Committee on Epilepsy; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. RossThe views of all those concerned with the health, welfare and education of epileptics have been sought. These show that the recommendations in the report are generally acceptable. Hospital authorities have stressed that the rate of implementation will depend on the resources available and other demands on those resources; but their review of the position has shown that in the main there are adequate facilities for assessment and short-term treatment. There are prospects of improving the medium stay facilities in the South-Eastern region, and the need for further medium and long-stay facilities in Scotland as a whole is being reviewed with the hospital authorities.