§ Dame Irene Wardasked the Minister of Health how many hospitals Susan Bell of Durham County was taken to before gaining admittance to Shotley Bridge; what action was taken at the hospitals she was taken to to relieve her suffering caused by burns; and 10 what extent it is the practice for emergency treatment to be given irrespective of whether the patient has been taken to the wrong hospital.
§ Miss PittThis patient was taken to two local hospitals before transfer to the plastic surgical centre at Shotley Bridge. At each of these hospitals she was considered fit to travel and it was understood that she had already received a full dose of morphia. It is the normal practice for a hospital to give emergency treatment unless immediate transfer is considered preferable. Some time would have been saved if a plan for the selection of hospitals for emergencies such as this had been clearly known to all concerned, and the hospital management committee is reviewing its arrangements to that end.