§ Mr. Greville Jannerasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what steps he has taken, and what steps he proposes to take, in response to the demand made by 506 consultants in England and Wales regarding the shortage of registrars in regional hospitals.
§ Mr. AlisonMy right hon. Friend proposes in these matters to rely on the 91W advice of the Central Manpower Committee, a body set up jointly by the Joint Consultants' Committee and the Department, which includes a majority of members nominated by the medical profession itself. I am sure the committee will not overlook the points made in it. The committee's first recommendations, after being set up last March, related to the need for more consultant posts and hospital authorities are formulating plans on the lines recommended by the committee.
§ Mr. Greville Jannerasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) how many additional registrars are required for obstetric units in hospitals in the Leicester area;
(2) how many additional registrars are required for orthopaedic units in hospitals in the Leicester area;
(3) how many anaesthetic registrars are required in hospitals in the Leicester area;
(4) how many psychiatic registrars are required for units in hospitals in the Leicester area.
§ Mr. AlisonIf the hospital authorities concerned consider—with their own professional advice—that more doctors with training and experience in a particular specialty are required, it is for them to put forward proposals to my Department. But the numbers of doctors in the particular training grade of registrar need to be regulated by reference to the prospective need for consultants: otherwise we would be in danger of training doctors for non-existent futures. Where for this reason additional registrar posts cannot be agreed my Department, acting in the light of advice from the Central Manpower Committee, is usually sympathetic to proposals to establish more consultant posts.
§ Mr. Greville Jannerasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many additional obstetric registrars have been appointed in England and Wales since May, 1972, when the President of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists informed his Department that in the college's view any obstetric unit should have not less than two registrars.
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§ Mr. AlisonTwo new posts have been approved; the considerations affecting the establishment of such posts were indicated in my reply to the hon. and learned Member's earlier Questions. I think the hon. and learned Member is referring to statements made in the course of a conference last May, but the college has not sent to my right hon. Friend any representations on this matter.
§ Mr. Greville Jannerasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many obstetric units in England and Wales have one obstetric registrar.
§ Mr. AlisonInformation is not available in the form requested, but the total number of registrars in obstetrics and gynaecology in England and Wales at 30th September, 1971, was 421 and the number of units was just over 350, excluding general practitioner units.