§ 38. Sir David PriceTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what response he plans to make to the proposal of568W the Royal College of Physicians and the Royal College of Psychiatrists that old age psychiatry should be officially recognised as a specialty within psychiatry, and that every health district should include a specialised service for the psychiatry of old age.
§ Mr. FreemanI am pleased to be able to report that the Department has accepted the Royal College of Psychiatrist's formal request for recognition of the psychiatry of old age as a specialty. An important benefit will be that more specific information relating to the new specialty can be collected and arrangements for this are well in hand. The development of specialised services in each district is a key priority in our policy to provide a comprehensive range of services for the elderly mentally ill.