HC Deb 24 February 1988 vol 128 cc245-6W
Mr. Ashley

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services how many social workers working in hospitals are employed by district health authorities.

Mr. Newton

The National Health Service (Transfer of Social Services Staff) Order 1974 transferred NHS hospital social workers to the employment of local authorities. We are therefore not aware of any in the employment of district health authorities.

Mr. Ashley

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many social workers are estimated to be working in hospitals; and what is the approximate number per 100,000 population in each health region.

Mr. Newton

I regret that the information needed to make these estimates is not available centrally.

Mr. Ashley

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will instruct the regional health authorities to monitor the withdrawal of local authority social workers from hospitals resulting from local authority spending reductions.

Mr. Newton

There is a duty on health authorities and local authorities to collaborate in the provision of services and we would expect them to be in close touch about changes which would have an effect on those services.

Mr. Ashley

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what figures he has as to how many hospitals have or are threatened with loss of the services of social workers because of the local authority spending reductions.

Mr. Newton

Information on the number of hospitals affected is not available centrally. In London, however, six boroughs (Brent, Camden, Haringey, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark) are known to have made, or to be planning, reductions in their hospital social work service.