§ Mr. Fred Evansasked the Secretary of State for Wales (1) why the number of hospital beds under the present proposals for hospital reorganisation in the Greater Cardiff area has been reduced to 4,394, as compared with the figure of 4,995 in the 1969 proposals;
(2) whether he will take steps to ensure that hospital bed/population ratio under the present proposals for hospital reorganisation in the Greater Cardiff area will not be smaller than the national average;
(3) whether he is satisfied that the 350 new cases per week dealt with by the casualty unit at Caerphilly District Miners' Hospital can be attended to by other hospitals in the Greater Cardiff area, when the present proposals for hospital reorganisation in that area envisage a fall in bed provision of 600 as compared with the 1969 proposals; and if he will make a statement;
(4) whether he will refuse to approve any change in the casualty services at Caerphilly District Miners' Hospital unless he is satisfied that comparable services will be provided, not only as to numbers, but also to the convenience and the comfort of the patients and of their families, in view of concern in the Rhymney Valley;
(5) what provision is to be made at the Caerphilly District Miners' Hospital for 461W casualty services, in view of the number of cases now treated at the hospital, the needs of industry in the area, and of the schools, for such a service, and the needs of the general population;
(6) what out-patient facilities will be provided in the Rhymney Valley under the present proposals for hospital reorganisation in the Greater Cardiff area;
(7) if he will ensure that, under the present proposals for hospital reorganisation in the Greater Cardiff area, outpatient facilities will not be less adequate than those at present existing;
(8) what estimate he has made of the additional time involved for those attending as out-patients the centralised units envisaged under the present proposals for hospital reorganisation in the Greater Cardiff area;
(9) what estimate he has made of the effect of proposals of the Welsh Hospital Board for the reorganisation of hospitals in the Greater Cardiff area, on the total number of beds in that area, waiting lists, pressures upon medical services and the avoidance of the effects of denuding growing areas like Caerphilly of integrated health services.
§ Mr. Gibson-WattI must ask the hon. Member to await my right hon. and learned Friend's decisions on Welsh Hospital Board's proposals for the reorganisation of hospital services in the Cardiff area.
§ Mr. Fred Evansasked the Secretary of State for Wales if he is satisfied with the provision of ambulance services in the Rhymney Valley and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Gibson-WattThe ambulance services are the responsibility of the local health authorities. I understand that the services in the Rhymney Valley area are satisfactory.
§ Mr. Fred Evansasked the Secretary of State for Wales whether he will give details of consultations which he has had with local health authorities to ensure that ambulance services will be adequate to meet the demands imposed if the present proposals for hospital reorganisation in the Greater Cardiff area are approved.
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§ Mr. Gibson-WattThe Welsh Hospital Board received the observations of Cardiff County Borough Council and Glamorgan County Council on its original proposals.
§ Mr. Fred Evansasked the Secretary of State for Wales (1) whether he will state what assurances he has received that adequate consultation has taken place concerning the ability of facilities at the Cardiff Royal Infirmary to deal with the estimated 800 new casualty cases per week which will arise if the present proposals for hospital reorganisation in the Greater Cardiff area are approved;
(2) what arrangements are envisaged to provide a concentration of transport in order to deal with the greatly increased casualty case load at the Cardiff Royal Infirmary under the present proposals for hospital reorganisation in the Greater Cardiff area;
(3) if he is satisfied with the adequacy of proposed public transport facilities to serve the centralised units now envisaged in the Welsh Hospital Board's proposals for hospital reorganisation in the Greater Cardiff area; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Gibson-WattThe hon. Member is speculating about the reorganisation of the Cardiff hospitals. I must ask him to await the outcome of the consideration which my right hon. and learned Friend is currently giving to those plans.
§ Mr. Fred Evansasked the Secretary of State for Wales whether he will make arrangements for assistance towards the increased costs of travelling to be borne by poorer patients and their visitors who attend the centralised units envisaged under the present proposals for hospital reorganisation in the Greater Cardiff area.
§ Mr. Gibson-WattFinancial assistance to meet the travelling expenses of hospital patients and their visitors is already available when the need for such help is established.
§ Mr. Fred Evansasked the Secretary of State for Wales what evidence he has received from the Welsh Hospital Board, or other sources, concerning the load on medical services of the Rhymney Valley, the size of waiting lists for out-patient 463W and in-patient treatment in such specialties as obstetrics, gynaecology, geriatrics and psychiatry, and the increasing number of casualty cases.
§ Mr. Gibson-WattMy right hon. and learned Friend receives regularly from the Welsh Hospital Board statistics about the medical services in the Rhymney Valley and elsewhere.
§ Mr. Fred Evansasked the Secretary of State for Wales (1) why he refused to meet deputations from the people of the Rhymney Valley, who sought an opportunity for consultation on the revised proposals for hospital reorganisation in the Greater Cardiff area;
(2) whether he will hold consultations with all persons concerned over the present 464W proposals for hospital reorganisation in the Greater Cardiff area.
§ Mr. Gibson-WattThe Welsh Hospital Board has had extensive consultations concerning hospital reorganisation in the Greater Cardiff area. It has made recommendations to my right hon. and learned Friend, in the light of these consultations and I must now ask those concerned to await the outcome.