§ Mrs. Chalkerasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what proportion of National Health Service expenditure on chiropody has been spent on pensioners in each of the last four years.
§ Dr. OwenI regret that information is not available in the form requested. However, in recent years the elderly—persons aged 65 and over—have accounted for about 96 per cent. of all chiropody treatments.
§ Mrs. Chalkerasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many new chiropodists qualified in each of the years 1973, 1974 and 1975.
§ Mrs. Chalkerasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what provision per 1,000 persons she considers feasible in the chiropody service of the National Health Service.
§ Dr. OwenThe average number of treatments per 1,000 population has risen in recent years to about 100 per year and I expect that with the growth in chiropody envisaged in the Consultative Document on Health and Personal Social Services Priorities, and with developments to make the best use of available staff and facilities, this growth should be maintained.
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§ Mrs. Chalkerasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what has been the annual cost of chiropody on the National Health Service in each of the last four years.
§ Dr. OwenThe cost of National Health Service chiropody services—excluding hospital services—provided by local health authorities up to 1st April 1974 and by area health authorities thereafter in England in each of the latest four years for which information is available was as follows: 1971–72, £4.2 million; 1972–73, £4.8 million; 1973–74, £5.7 million; 1974–75, £6 million.
Expenditure for 1974–75 may not be directly comparable with that for earlier years because of different accounting practices as between local health authorities and area health authorities.
§ Mrs. Chalkerasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many full-time equivalents in chiropody were employed by each regional health authority at the end of 1974 and 1975, respectively.
§ Dr. OwenThe number of chiropodists working in the National Health Service at 30th September 1974, the latest date for which complete information is available, expressed in whole-time equivalents, is:
Regional Health Authority Northern … … 71.04 Yorkshire … … 161.26 Trent … … 92.86 East Anglia … … 60.82 North West Thames … … 71.67 North East Thames … … 160.46 South East Thames … … 120.93 South West Thames … … 77.18 Wessex … … 39.99 Oxford … … 68.97 South Western … … 120.24 West Midlands … … 98.37 Mersey … … 53.85 North Western … … 274.90 I will send the hon. Member the corresponding figures in relation to 30th September 1975 as soon as the returns are complete.
§ Mrs. Chalkerasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what establishment in chiropody exists for each regional health authority in 1976; and how this compares with the previous two years.
§ Dr. OwenStaffing levels are a matter for individual area health authorities and610W there is no nationally determined standard of complementing.
§ Mrs. Chalkerasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what estimates of expenditure she is considering for National Health Service chiropody services over the next 10 years.
§ Dr. OwenThe Department's recently published Consultative Document on Priorities for Health and Personal Social Services in England proposes that national expenditure on chiropody services should be increased by 3 per cent. a year between 1975–76 and 1979–80.