§ Dr. Roger Thomasasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will take steps to improve the co-ordination of the medical diagnostic services available to neonates to improve the present low figures in some areas of the United Kingdom with regard to the early diagnosis of congenital hip disease.
§ Mr. Geoffrey FinsbergAdvice given by the Standing Medical Advisory Committee in 1969, which has been widely circulated, emphasises the importance of screening in the early neonatal period for congenital dislocation of the hip, and of treatment before the age of three months. Early diagnosis is crucial if handicapping conditions are to be avoided, and continued vigilance by health professionals is plainly required. I am not, however, aware of evidence that there are problems in the co-ordination of medical diagnostic services for the early detection of this disorder.