§ Mr. Carter-Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what action he is taking to improve and standardise antenatal records; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. MoyleExperience has shown that a standard record is unsatisfactory in that it does not meet every clinician's needs. However the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists through its statistics and epidemiology committee is concerned about the standard of record keeping and has opened a library of maternity records which it can recommend for use to obstetric clinicians.
A working party has also been established under the auspices of the Northern 53W Regional Health Authority comprised of members of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and British Paediatric Association and of representatives of regions of my Department and of the Office of Population, Census and Surveys to examine the whole area of maternity data collection.