§ Mr. Crouchasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if she will consider recommending that district nurses should be provided with houses.
§ Dr. OwenMany of the health staff who transferred from local authorities to area health authorities as part of the health service reorganisation were already living in accommodation provided by their previous employers. Their rights as tenants are fully protected.
Area health authorities have been advised to discuss with local housing authorities what help they can give to cater for the needs of staff appointed since reorganisation. Housing authorities have been asked to treat health service staff no less favourably than their own staff. The extent to which health authorities can themselves provide accommodation—whether for staff employed in hospitals or for those engaged in community health work—depends on the amount of accommodation already available and on how much they can afford to devote to increasing the supply from the financial resources at their disposal. As will be appreciated, there are many other urgent competing calls on National Health Service funds at the present time.