HC Deb 24 March 1977 vol 928 cc666-7W
Mr. Thompson

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) if he will make sufficient funds available to the Greater Glasgow Health Board so that the kidney units in the Board's area may continue treating patients at the present level, both as regards numbers of patients and as regards the scale and forms of treatment;

(2) whether he received any request from the Great Glasgow Health Board for additional funds to maintain the kidney units in the Board's area at their present level of functioning; on what date he received the request; on what date he replied to it; and what reply he gave.

Mr. Harry Ewing

On 13th September 1976 the Greater Glasgow Health Board requested a meeting to discuss the future funding of the renal dialysis service in West Scotland and senior officers of my Department met the chairman and members of the board on 24th November 1976. It was made clear that the resources for this purpose must continue to be found by the board from its existing allocation for hospital services; that allocations for 1977–78 would allow for very little growth overall; and that any substantial increase in expenditure on dialysis would therefore depend on the board's making savings in other directions.

My right hon. Friend has no reason to believe that the board will be unable to continue providing dialysis treatment to the same number of patients and in the same manner as at present. The problem is primarily one of expanding home dialysis services to make places available for new patients requiring hospital dialysis. Since the meeting referred to limited arrangements have been made for health boards to share the cost of expansion in home dialysis in 1977–78. This will benefit the Greater Glasgow Health Board.

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