§ Mr. Galeasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will define precisely what information is currently required to be included in prescriptions for glasses issued by ophthalmic opticians when carrying out National Health Service tests.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeThere is a standard form on which ophthalmic opticians record a patient's NHS prescription. The information varies according to the
Region Post without a permanent holder Posts wholly unoccupied Column (2) as a percentage of wte* establishment Column (3) as a percentage of wte* establishment Number wte* wte* (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) Northern 62 55.0 39.3 6.4 4.5 Yorkshire 85 85.0 61.3 9.1 6.5 Trent 50 50.0 31.5 4.8 3.00 East Anglian 47 42.2 30.7 8.1 5.9 North West Thames 73 45.7 26.4 4.9 2.8 North East Thames 92 78.8 56.8 6.2 5.5 South East Thames 61 53.4 24.3 5.00 2.3 South West Thames 60 31.4 23.8 4.1 3.1 Wessex 32 30.5 26.1 4.4 3.8 Oxford 81 77.5 68.9 12.4 11.0 South Western 21 20.5 11.5 2.7 1.5 West Midlands 112 110.6 83.9 8.3 6.3 Mersey 78 73.6 52.0 11.0 7.8 North Western 99 98.6 79.9 8.1 6.6 whole-time equivalent.
§ Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will now introduce proposals to increase the number of consultants in post by 4 or 5 per cent. as recommended by the Social Services Committee.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeNo. The Government remain committed to the principle of consultant expansion, as one
252Wpatient's requirements but the headings on the form relate to the spherical or cylindrical power of the lens, axis direction, prismatic power and direction. Details are recorded separately for right and left eyes and for distance and near sight. There is also provision on the form for the practitioner to record any other details such as bifocals or tints, as may be necessary in individual cases.