§ Mr. Cyril Smithasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if her Department has a recommended maximum for the number of patients a consultant can reasonably be expected to see in a single session of an out-patient clinic; and what measures her Department is taking to ensure that all out-patient clinics are adequately staffed.
§ Dr. OwenNo maximum has been recommended. It is best left to the individual consultant to judge in the light of his own capabilities and experience, and that of his supporting staff, and of the demands arising on his department how much time he needs to spend with his outpatients to provide an adequate quality, as well as quantity, of care. It is for each health authority to keep under review the level of staffing in out-patient departments, as in all other departments of the hospital, according to the demands being placed on those departments and the financial and manpower resources available to the authority.