§ Mr. Andrew F. Bennettasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if she will publish the latest advice given to regional and area health authorities on how they should determine the number of nurses to be employed in each hospital.
§ Dr. OwenHealth authorities are responsible for setting their own establishments and no general advice has been issued by my Department on how they should determine the number of nurses to be employed in their hospitals. As part of an overall programme to improve services my Department did, however, recommend minimum standards for nurse staffing in hospitals for the mentally handicapped (1969), geriatric wards and hospitals (1972) and mental illness hospitals (1972).