§ Dame Patricia Hornsby-Smithasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he has yet received the report of the Hunter Working Party on Medical Administrators; and if he will make a statement.
§ Sir K. Joseph:Yes. I have recently received the report and it will be published at the end of the month. I am most grateful to Dr. Hunter and his colleagues for the work they have done.
The report describes the rôle of medical administrators within £ unified health service and makes recommendations about training and career structure. It envisages that doctors specialising in community medicine will be required within the administration of the unified health service at all levels.
I am sure that this is right and that their will be ample scope in the new 438W service for doctors at present taking part in the administration both of the public health services and of the hospital service. I shall be consulting interested bodies about the report, and arranging for it to be distributed widely within the health services.