§ Mr. Critchleyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he is aware that general practitioners and consulting physicians in Hampshire are being prevented from admitting psycho-geriatric patients to Brookwood Hospital, Surrey, owing to the action of the Confederation of Health Service Employees members employed at that hospital.
§ Mr. MoyleThis is a matter for Surrey Area Health Authority in the first instance but I understand that it is anxious to reduce numbers of beds at Brookwood in the long term. I understand that, following recent discussions between the area health authority, the district management294W team and representatives of COHSE arrangements were agreed for reducing the numbers of beds per ward at the hospital (in order to achieve reasonable work loads for nurses) without preventing the admission of those patients considered by the consultant psychiatrist concerned to be in most urgent need of hospital care.