§ Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Secretary of State for Social Services which centres within the National Health Service could carry on the work being done by the department of experimental chemical pathology at Westminster hospital in the event of that department's closure in 1983.
§ Mr. Geoffrey FinsbergThe department of experimental pathology at the Westminster Medical School performs both routine chemical pathology work—principally for the Westminster Children's Hospital—and more specialised research work, on vitamin B12 deficiency. Routine chemical pathology is a basic hospital service available in all districts, and the Westminster Hospital has the capacity to deal with this element of the department's work. The research work is concerned with very rare cases of vitamin B12 deficiency arising from metabolic disorders. Although the precise research work being done in the department is not being carried out elsewhere, there are other specialised centres to which such patients may be referred, including St. Bartholomews' Hospital the Royal Free Hospital and Northwick Park Hospital.