§ Mr. Brewisasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the development of the medical rehabilitation services in Scotland with particular reference to the Mair Report on "Medical Rehabilitation: the pattern for the future".
§ Mr. Gordon CampbellI felt it proper, having regard to the far-reaching recommendations in the Mau. Report, to consult the various interested organisations. This I have now done, and whilst there are differing views on some of the recommendations—as was to be expected—the comments I have received are in the main favourable to the general concept outlined in the report. I now intend to commend the report to hospital authorities and to ask them to have due regard to its recommendations in the consideration they are giving to the development of their medical rehabilitation services.
An impetus to the bringing together of the medical rehabilitation services as envisaged in the report has been achieved by the establishment of a chair of rehabilitation studies at Edinburgh University, thanks to the generous financial support given by the National Fund for 376W Research into Crippling Diseases, the Thistle Foundation and the Hugh Fraser Foundation. My Department is also entering into discussion with the appropriate organisations concerned to consider further action on the various recommendations in the report.
An important sector of the medical rehabilitation services covers the artificial limb and appliance field. Here I am glad to say that in the course of the implementation of the Denny Report on the Future of the Artificial Limb Service in Scotland which I announced on 7th December 1971, I have, following consultations with the regional hospital boards and the University of Strathclyde, established at the university a National Centre for Training and Education in Prosthetics, shortly to be extended to cover orthotics. The centre has already started working and will be offering short courses for doctors, prosthetists, orthotists, physiotherapists and other staff engaged in the prosthetic and orthotic services. In addition it will work in conjunction with the Glasgow College of Technology in providing the practical instruction in prosthetics for those trainee prosthetists who are about to be recruited by the hospital service and will be attending the three-year prosthetist-orthotist course which starts in September. I am glad to acknowledge the interest shown by the British Limbless Ex-Service Men's Association in the establishment of this national centre as evidenced by its funding of a research fellowship award.
I shall be keeping in close touch with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Social Services on developments in medical rehabilitation, including the progress made by the small working party which he has recently established to consider the future rôle of each of the remedial professions and their consequent training and staffing requirements.