§ Mr. Pavittasked the Minister of Health whether he has completed his review of the hospital services in Central London; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. K. RobinsonI have completed a preliminary review and have decided that further designations of non-teaching hospitals as parts of teaching hospital groups are right in principle, where they will improve hospital services in the area and conform with the responsibilities of boards of governors for clinical teaching. Where designations involve the taking over of a district responsibility I shall require an undertaking from the board of governors that it will provide a full range of services for the district, in agreement with the regional hospital board.
If further designations are made, a time will come when the hospital services of Central London are provided, to a very great extent, by teaching hospitals. This would make it difficult if not impossible, under existing arrangements, for the Metropolitan regional hospital boards to carry out their statutory function of planning the hospital and specialist services over the whole of Central London.
I consider that formal consultative machinery should be set up to assist these 164W boards to carry out their planning functions and I am opening discussions with the bodies concerned to consider what form this should take.