§ Sir Hugh Rossiasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he has any proposals for a review of the services provided in artificial limb and appliance centres; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. NewtonThe administration of the artificial limb and appliance centres was transferred from the former Ministry of Pensions to the former Ministry of Health in 1953. In the 30 years since then there has been a considerable growth in the demands made on the services provided by the centres and we believe it would now be right to undertake a review to ensure that the needs of the patients are met in the most effective and efficient way possible.
We have therefore decided to set up a working party with the following terms of reference:
To review and report on the adequacy, quality and management of various services received by patients in artificial limb and appliance centres in England, and on the respective roles of the staff of the centres, the NHS and manufacturers, having regard to the need to promote efficiency and cost effectiveness.We have decided that the working party should be fairly small. I hope to announce the name of the chairman and its constitution shortly.