§ Mr. Boscawenasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what developments he has initiated in the field of medical rehabilitation since the publication of the Tunbridge Report on rehabilitation.
§ Sir K. JosephThe report on rehabilitation drew attention to a number of problems in medical rehabilitation and I have been examining ways of overcoming them and the means by which the services may be improved now and in the future. To help me, I have made 10 visits across the country to see effective rehabilitation services and to discuss the provision of these services with the people involved.
I have recently allocated £1 million to be spent over the next four years on the development of a network of centres to demonstrate locally and nationally what can be done to treat and rehabilitate patients, particularly those suffering from stroke, rheumatism and arthritis. The first two centres to be designated are the Derby Royal Infirmary and the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital. I hope to be able to announce a further six centres by the end of this year.
There are several important issues to be resolved affecting occupational therapists, physiotherapists and remedial gymnasts, and therefore I have set up an informal working party to consider the future rôle of each of the remedial professions and the consequent training and staffing requirements. Because of the urgency of the problems confronting these professions I have asked the working party to submit its recommendations to me within six months, and I have undertaken to consult 373W the medical and other professions promptly on these recommendations.
The establishment of the Europe Chair of Rehabilitation at Southampton will give an academic base to the subject and will, I hope, stimulate interest in rehabilitation in medical education and research. My Department is also asking the Council for Postgraduate Medical Education to consider ways in which more emphasis can be placed on rehabilitation in postgraduate training for doctors.