§ Sir Anthony Grantasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what rules (a) his Department and (b) family practitioner committees lay down concerning the procedures to be adopted by general practitioners when their partners are away, and what steps he takes to satisfy himself as to the efficiency of such procedures.
§ Mr. HayhoeThe terms of service of a general medical practitioner require him to inform his family practitioner committee, when he proposes to be absent from his practice for more than one week, of the name of the doctor or doctors responsible for his practice during his absence. Additionally, before entering into arrangements with a deputising service for the provision of a deputy or deputies, a doctor must obtain the consent of the committee. The Department has issued guidance to family practitioner committees on the monitoring of deputising services and they have been asked to report on the steps they are taking in their 1985–86 annual programmes.