§ Mr. Pavittasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what sanctions he will permit an area health authority to impose on a family planning clinic which refuses to collect prescription charges;
(2) if he proposes to issue a special prescription form for contraceptive devices and drugs; if there will be separate organisations for checking these or if they will be checked with E.C.10s; how many extra staff at national, regional and area level he envisages; and if he will make a statement;
(3) how he proposes to collect the 20p prescription charge on supplies issued by family planning clinics run by area health authorities; how many condoms will be allowed on one prescription; how often returns of cash received will need to be made and what form these returns will take; if model record books are to be issued; if decisions for exemption will be made at the clinic; and if he will make a statement.
§ Sir K. JosephThe family planning services will be fully integrated into the health services run by area health authorities.
I do not envisage the use of a special prescription form for contraceptive drugs and devices. The arrangements, including checking, will be generally the same as for other drugs and appliances supplied under the NHS. It will be made clear in the guidance I intend to issue to authorities later in the year that, subject to the needs of financial accountability and control, the arrangements made for collection of the prescription charge in family planning clinics in the new authorities should be as simple and inexpensive as possible and should not involve increases in staff or any significant increase in administrative costs. Most clinic staff, of course, already have experience of collecting charges under the present system.
427WI consider it unlikely that a situation would arise in which clinic staff refused to collect prescription charges but if it did it would be for the area health authority to act as it thought appropriate.
There will be no alteration in relation to the number of condoms per prescription from clinics which will continue to be at the discretion of the individual doctor concerned, as is the case at present.
Some people attending clinics will already be exempt from prescription charges and will simply be asked to show their exemption certificate or to fill in a declaration form probably only on the occasion of their first visit; this is a system which operates for prescription charges in general in hospital out-patient clinics at the moment. There will also be arrangements for free supplies to particular patients with special needs on the authorisation of a health professional worker.