Therapy (Hansard, 23 April 1990)

§ Mr. Ashley
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many qualified (1) speech therapists, (2) physiotherapists and (3) occupational therapists are employed centrally by his Department; and in each category what are the numbers employed in the National Health Service.
27W

§ Mr. Freeman
The Department currently employs one speech therapy officer, two physiotherapy officers and two occupational therapy officers, all full-time. The speech therapy officer and one physiotherapy officer are on secondment from the National Health Service. One occupational therapy officer is on secondment from a local authority. The table shows the whole-time equivalents of qualified therapists employed in the National Health Service at 30 September 1988, the latest date for which figures are available:

Number

Physiotherapists 9,590

Occupational therapists 4,870

Speech therapists 2,730

§ Mr. Ashley
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will increase the number of qualified speech therapists employed centrally by his Department to oversee policy designed to overcome the gap between the 20.5 speech therapists (whole-time equivalents) per 100,000 population required if current methods of intervention were maintained and assistants were used, and the 5.7 national average figure per 100,000 now available.

§ Mr. Freeman
No. The Department's speech therapy officer is already actively working with other officials to consider the problem of matching the supply and demand for speech therapy. I refer the right hon. Member to the reply that I gave him on 26 March at column46.

§ Mr. Ashley
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the duties of the therapy officers employed by his Department.

§ Mr. Freeman
The duties of the therapy officers are to provide advice and support to Ministers and to other officials on matters concerned with all aspects of policy for the development of therapy services, including education and employment, in the National Health Service, local government and the voluntary and private sectors, to assist in taking forward policies relating to these services, and to liaise with professional bodies and other relevant organisations and services.

§ Mr. Ashley
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received regarding the review of the functions of therapy officers; and if he will state the objectives of the review.

§ Mr. Freeman
The objectives of the review are set out in the terms of reference which are as follows:

(a) to review the value and costs of the service provided to the Department by the therapy officers;

(b) to consider other models for the provision of advice on therapy matters to the Department;

(c) to advise on whether the present arrangements constitute the most effective use of resources for the provision of this advice;

(d) if not, to advise on whether an alternative model or models would be more effective, and if so which, and

(e) without prejudice to the consideration of other models, to review the budgetary and management arrangements for therapy officers employed by the Department, and to make recommendations.

Apart from the letter which the right hon. Member sent my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State on 29 March we have received no representations about the review.

	Number
Physiotherapists	9,590
Occupational therapists	4,870
Speech therapists	2,730