§ Mr. Alexander Wilsonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what regulations exist to prescribe a maximum number of patients for whom any doctor may be responsible at any one time, and particularly on night stand-by duty.
§ Mr. Gordon CampbellI have been asked to reply.
The National Health Service (General Medical and Pharmaceutical Services) (Scotland) Regulations, 1966 (S.I., 1966, No. 1233 (S.88) provide that the maximum number of persons who may be on a family doctor's list, unless in exceptional circumstances, shall be specified in an allocation scheme prepared by the N.H.S. Executive Council for the area. The regulations also provide that this number should not exceed 3,500 for a single-handed doctor and 4,500 for a 481W member of a partnership, with a limit of 3,500 on partnership average; there is an allowance of up to 2,000 for an assistant. There are no special provisions related to night stand-by duty.