§ Sir David PriceTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to ensure that all doctors' surgeries and all doctors' consulting rooms are accessible to patients in wheelchairs,(a) in private sector surgeries and consulting rooms in London to which NHS patients are referred and (b) elsewhere.
§ Mr. Dorrell[holding answer 15 April 1991]: It is the Department's policy to ensure that facilities are accessible to patients in wheelchairs. Building regulations require reasonable provision to be made for the access of disabled people into and within buildings. These regulations are legally enforceable on both the National Health Service and the private sector. In 1989 the Department published "Health Building Note 40, Common Activity Spaces Volume 4—Designing for Disabled People", a copy of which is available in the Library. The building note gives guidance on designing health care facilities to meet the needs of disabled people. The Department is about to publish building guidance on general medical practice premises which includes specific recommendations on designing for wheelchair access.