§ Mr. Carter-Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if, during the forthcoming campaign to increase public awareness of the need for kidney transplantation, he will bring to the attention of all general practitioners and all general physicians in Northern Ireland the need to refer all cases of end stage renal disease to a consultant nephrologist in a special renal unit for investigation of possible treatment.
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§ Mr. Chris PattenNo. The need for consultant advice or investigation in any particular case is essentially a matter for the clinical judgment of the doctor concerned.
§ Mr. Carter-Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he is aware of any patients being treated for end stage renal disease in Northern Ireland outside of regional renal units under the primary care of general physicians with an interest in nephrology using the technique of continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Chris PattenI am not aware of any such patients in Northern Ireland. However, in the course of the review of services for kidney patients which I have recently initiated, consideration will be given to the various means by which an expansion in the overall levels of dialysis services (including the use of techniques of continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis) can be achieved.
§ Mr. Carter-Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether there are any health authority guidelines in Northern Ireland relating to registered diabetics who report with end stage renal disease; and if he will give details of the numbers of patients in 1982 and 1983, the proportion who are referred to specialist renal units and the proportion of these who were treated either by dialysis or transplantation.
§ Mr. Chris PattenThere are no such guidelines in Northern Ireland. The information requested on the number of patients and the type of treatment offered is not available centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.