§ Mr. BlunkettTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what measures she has taken to prevent the abduction of children from hospital maternity wards;
(2) what resources are available to NHS trusts and district health authorities to improve the security of hospitals;
(3) what guidelines she will issue to health authorities and NHS trusts following the recent abduction of a baby from the Royal United hospital in Bath.
§ Mr. SackvilleI refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Dartford (Mr. Dunn) on 26 May 1993 at columns577–78. Security arrangements at all health service premises, for the protection of patients and the staff who care for them, rests with local managers. They are in the best position to decide what is needed to cope with the local situation and what proportion of their resources should be directed to security matters.
To help them in this task, in March 1992 the National Association of Health Authorities and Trusts—NAHAT —published, with financial assistance from the Department, a revised edition of the "National Health Service Security Manual". The Department provided copies for each unit and commended it to them as an excellent source of advice and guidance, copies of which are available in the Library.
National health service managers have a difficult balance to strike between allowing access to visitors, families and staff, while ensuring that there are satisfactory arrangements for the security of all those who use the hospital for lawful purposes.
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