§ 62. Mr. Kirkasked the Minister of Health whether he has yet come to a decision concerning the provision of additional funds to enable hospital authorities to make further progress towards introducing the 88-hour working fortnight for hospital nurses and midwives.
§ Mr. Walker-SmithYes. Many hospital authorities have already been able to achieve, or make progress towards, this objective, without the need for additional funds, by reorganisation and more effective deployment of their resources. I am anxious that they shall continue to do as much as possible in this way. For the next financial year, however, I am glad to be able to make available additional funds to regional hospital boards, with higher shares for those in whose regions the existing staffing ratios are relatively low. This is in order to help particularly those hospital management committees which cannot significantly reduce hours without increasing staffs.