§ Mr. BurtTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received in relation to the time scale of the clinical regrading appeals.
§ Mrs. Virginia BottomleyA number of letters on this subject have been received. Appeals against clinical grading decisions are heard under a complicated and time-consuming procedure agreed by the general Whitley council. We know that some nurses are unhappy about the time taken to hear their appeals under this agreement. When the clinical grading structure was negotiated, we offered to discuss a streamlined procedure specifically for clinical grading appeals. The nursing trade unions chose not to pursue this possibility and insisted on retaining the existing complex procedures.