§ Mr. Carter-Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Social Services why information on the number of neonatal intensive care cots in each regional health authority is not collected centrally; and if he will take steps to begin to collect this information.
§ Mr. Geoffrey FinsbergInformation on the number of cots in all special care baby units has been collected since 1953, but there are serious difficulties of definition and interpretation in establishing precisely how many of these cots are available for intensive care. The Korner committee has been reviewing Health Service information requirements and has, as part of its review, considered the need for statistics on special and intensive care cot provision and the form in which these might be collected.
§ Mr. Carter-Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he is satisfied that the staffing levels in neonatal intensive care units, as recommended in the Sheldon report, are reasonable in the light of present day working practices:. and if he plans to revise them.
§ Mr. Geoffrey FinsbergIt is now more than 10 years since the report of the expert group on special care for babies was published, and we are considering how this aspect of the report might be reviewed.
§ Mr. Carter-Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what finance is made available to neonatal intensive care units if they accept referrals from outside their regional health authority boundaries; and whether he intends to revise the present arrangements within the near future.
§ Mr. Geoffrey FinsbergThe provision of neonatal intensive care facilities is a responsibility of regional health authorities. In the resource allocation working party formula for assessing target allocations adjustments are made for the care of patients classed as resident outside of the region in which treatment is provided. We have no plans to revise the se arrangements.
§ Mr. Carter-Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he is satisfied with the present level of neonatal intensive care facilities in England; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Geoffrey FinsbergThe need to give priority to improving maternity and neonatal services was reaffirmed by the Government in "Care in Action", a handbook of policies and priorities for the health and personal social services. Progress is being made, but this has to take account of the present constraints on resources.
§ Mr. Carter-Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he intends to make funding available, in addition to the regional health authority annual budgets, to develop neonatal intensive care facilities in England.
§ Mr. Geoffrey FinsbergNo. In the Government's reply to the Social Services Committee's report on perinatal and neonatal mortality (Cmnd. 8084) we have stated our reasons against making a special allocation of funds for maternity services. The main objection to doing 157W so is that decisions on spending priorities would be taken away from the authorities on the spot who can best assess local needs and priorities.