§ Sir Michael McNair-WilsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what is his estimate of the total funding currently committed to the care of renal patients either as a result of dialysis or transplantation; and what was the figure for 1978–79.
§ Mr. DorrellThis information is not collected centrally.
§ Sir Michael McNair-WilsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what directions have been issued to general practitioners about prescribing recently licensed drugs for renal patients when its use would otherwise be limited by pressure on hospital budgets.
§ Mrs. Virginia BottomleyResponsibility for prescribing, and hence who pays for the treatment, rests with the doctor who has clinical responsibility for the patient. Clinical responsibility can be on a shared care basis if appropriate but this is a matter to be agreed by the professionals involved. GPs, who feel that prescribing a particular drug is beyond their professional competence and not in the best interests of patient care, can quite properly refuse to prescribe.