§ Mr. Leslie Huckfieldasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what future plans exist for Nuneaton hospitals as casualty and accident centres;
(2) what are the major casualty and accident centres to be designated by the Birmingham Regional Hospital Board in their future plans.
§ Mr. William Priceasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what plans the Birmingham Regional Hospital Board has for transferring the treatment of major casualties from St. Cross, Rugby, to Coventry.
§ Mr. CrossmanA report at present under consideration by the Birmingham Regional Hospital Board on the proposed future development of the accident ser-222W vices in their area envisages the initial reception of all major accident cases at 13 main hospitals, designated as major reception units, with facilities at associated hospitals for the treatment of traumatic and orthopaedic cases transferred from the main hospitals and for the treatment of minor accident cases where necessary. The 13 major units would be:
- Birmingham Accident Hospital
- North Staffordshire Royal Infirmary
- Royal Hospital, Wolverhampton.
- Coventry and Warwickshire Stoney Stanton Road Hospital
- Dudley Road Hospital, Birmingham
- East Birmingham Hospital
- Good Hope Hospital, Sutton Coldfield
- The Guest Hospital, Dudley, Worcs
- Worcester Royal Infirmary
- General Hospital, Hereford
- Copthorne Hospital, Shrewsbury
- Warwick Hospital
- Burton-on-Trent General Hospital.
The report envisages that the Manor Hospital, Nuneaton, would continue to be associated with the major accident unit at Coventry until the planned redevelopment of hospital services in Nuneaton has been completed on the George Eliot Hospital site. The Board are considering whether the George Eliot Hospital would then be associated for accident services with the major reception unit at Coventry or itself be designated as a major reception unit.
The report envisages that St. Cross, Rugby, would be associated with the major reception unit at Coventry.
§ Mr. Leslie Huckfieldasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the maximum travelling distance that he plans should exist in future in reaching a casualty and accident centre.
§ Mr. William Priceasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what study has been made by his Department of the effects upon people seriously injured in road accidents being taken lengthy journeys to major accident units.
§ Mr. CrossmanThe Sub-Committee of the Standing Medical Advisory Committee on Accident and Emergency Services, whose report was commended to hospital authorities, strongly recommended that all injured persons requiring hospital treatment should be taken direct to hospitals having accident and emergency departments staffed and equipped to deal immediately with major 223W injuries and other emergency cases. They considered that it was normally better for an injured patient to have a longer ambulance journey to an accident and emergency unit than to be taken to the nearest hospital unless it had such a unit, and that there were very few cases in the country where distances were so great and transport so difficult that an efficient service could not be provided by a unit serving a population of 150,000 or more.