§ Mr. Meacherasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list general practitioner deputising services which have been found to be operating without due regard to proper standards; and what proportion this is of the total.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeIt is at present the responsibility of local professional advisory committees to advise their family practitioner committees on the professional and ethical aspects of the use and functioning of deputising services. Judgments about the standards of individual services have always been a matter for local FPCs acting on the basis of a circular and national guidelines. Replies by FPC chairmen to a letter that I wrote to them last July gave grounds for concern about the extent of use and monitoring of standards of services in some areas. The draft circular of guidance that I recently issued for consultation is intended to suggest remedies and invite views on this situation.