§ Dr. Stuttafordasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many full-time consultant posts in the casualty services are at present available in National Health Services hospitals in England.
§ Sir K. JosephMost consultants in charge of accident and emergency services spend only part of their time in these departments, and are mainly engaged in other fields of hospital work. Exact figures are not available because accident and emergency services do not constitute a recognised specialty, but the number of consultants working whole-time in this field at present is very small.
§ Dr. Stuttafordasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many additional consultant posts will be available in the National Health Service as the result of the additional funds allocated for increase in key staff for accident and emergency services.
§ Sir K. JosephHospital boards have been asked to formulate proposals for up to 30 consultant posts, for consideration jointly by the Department and representatives of the profession. This initial development is partly experimental, to help the Department and the profession to study the best ways of staffing these departments.