§ Mr. Fisherasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) how many family doctor general practices, consisting of more than (a) four and (b) eight general practitioners are making use of deputising services weekly;
(2) how many family doctor general practices are currently in receipt of consents, under the National Health Service Regulations 1974, to use deputising services; and what percentage this represents of all general practices.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeInformation is not held centrally in this form. At 1 October 1983, in England, 10,480, or 45.1 per cent. of general medical practitioners who were unrestricted principals had consent to use a deputising service.
§ Mr. Fisherasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) how many doctors take part in deputising services;
(2) how many doctors who have had no previous experience of general practice take part in deputising services;
(3) how many doctors taking part in deputising services have full-time medical jobs in addition to those responsibilities.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeI would refer the hon. Member to the reply to the hon. Member for Carmarthen (Dr. Thomas) on 25 January.—[Vol. 52, c.602]
§ Mr. Fisherasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many complaints have been received by 511W family practitioner committees about deputising services during the last 12 months; and how these figures compare with each of the previous four years.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeThis information is not held centrally.
§ Mr. Fisherasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will set up an inquiry into the standards and use of deputising services.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeNo. Such a wide inquiry would merely delay any action being taken in a policy area where every interest consulted agrees that at least some improvements in standards and controls should be made.