§ Mr. Alfred Morrisasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will take steps to ensure that all chair-bound 115W patients before leaving hospital or when under the jurisdiction of the local authority are made aware of pressure seat pads and their entitlement thereto, thus making life more tolerable and reducing the incidence of sores and the consequential risk of lengthy hospitalisation.
§ Mr. Fauldsasked the Secretary of State for Social Services which local authorities have brought to the notice of the chair-bound patients under their jurisdiction the benefits of pressure seat pads ; and what steps they take to ensure that all such patients have them.
§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for Social Services which hospitals in each regional hospital board in England and Wales have for use and/or demonstration alternating pressure seat pads ; and which ensure that all chair-bound patients are made aware of these and how to obtain them through the Department of Health or the local authority before leaving hospital.
§ Dr. John DunwoodyHospitals do not generally hold demonstration wheelchairs and ancillary equipment but recommend to my Department's appliance centres the provision of whatever is considered to be necessary for individual patients' needs. Appliance centres are supplying alternating pressure pads to patients referred to them under these arrangements at the rate of 100 a year. I regret that information is not available about the use made by local health and welfare authorities of equipment of this kind.