§ Mr. Georgeasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what is the consultant-patient ratio for each of the area health authorities in England and Wales in the field of dermatology;
(2) how many consultant dermatologists are employed at hospitals within the responsibility of the Walsall Area Health Authority.
§ Mr. MoyleThe ratio of consultants in dermatology to population for each of the regional health authorities and Wales at 30th September 1975 is given in the table below. Information about the areas in which consultants are employed is not collected centrally, but I am informed that no consultant dermatologist is employed at hospitals within the responsibility of the Walsall Area Health Authority.
Consultant Staffing—Whole Time Equivalents per 100,000 Population* Northern 0.35 Yorkshire 0.33 Trent 0.23 East Anglia 0.31 North-West Thames 0.29 North-East Thames 0.38 South-East Thames 0.36 South-West Thames 0.24 Wessex 0.31 Oxford 0.45 South-Western 0.26 West Midlands 0.30 Mersey 0.21 North-Western 0.25 Wales 0.34 England and Wales 0.31 * Including senior hospital medical officers with allowance, but excluding staff employed by boards of governors of postgraduate teaching hospitals.
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Country CSA UB DG FAM CH1B AA NCIP MOB ALLCE ICA Belgium … X X X X X Denmark … X X X X X France … X X X X X X X Germany … X X X X Irish Republic … X X X X X X Italy … X X X X X X X Luxembourg … X X X X X X X Netherlands … X X X X X X X Social Security Benefits not covered by Bilateral Reciprocal Agreement are denoted by X
§ Mr. Georgeasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he is satisfied with the facilities and numbers of staff available in the Walsall Area Health Authority for the treatment of skin conditions.
§ Mr. MoyleNo. There are adequate facilities for out-patients, linked with inpatient services in Birmingham, but for several months the joint consultant appointment between Walsall and Birmingham has been unfilled. There is thus a major gap in services.