§ Mr. Wigleyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will implement the recommendation of the Coast report concerning the need for greater training for doctors who will be involved with cases of mentally handicapped persons.
§ Sir George YoungI understand that the hon. Member is referring to the Court report—the report of the committee on child health services—which recommended, among other things, that training in psychiatric work with mentally handicapped children should routinely be included in child psychiatry programmes. The content of training both for child psychiatrists and for psychiatrists specialising in mental handicap is a matter for the Royal College of Psychiatrists, which has recommended that wherever possible all psychiatrists in training should have experience in mental handicap, and that all child psychiatrists should have training in this specialty. The increase in training posts in mental handicap should lead to an expansion in the consultant grade and facilitate the training of doctors concerned with mentally handicapped children.