§ Dr. Roger Thomasasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if, in view of the evidence that only a small percentage of children between the ages of 1 and 4 years attends the child health clinics, he will mount a campaign to stress the importance of the early detection of abnormalities through periodic health surveillance.
§ Sir George YoungIn 1979, 45 per cent, of children aged beween 1 and under 5 attended child health clinics and 75 per cent, of that age group were seen by health visitors. We naturally hope to improve on these figures but my right hon. Friend has no plans to mount a national campaign. In March this year the Department made available for information a paper on "Prevention in the Child Health Services", which stressed the need to ensure that health surveillance reached all children and suggested ways of improving take-up, for example, through health education in schools and by making clinics more accessible and attractive. In particular, it suggested that local groups working, with disadvantaged families might help in publicising services, giving encouragement to such families to register with a general practitioner and introducing them to their local clinic and health visitor.