National Health Service : The Government's Policy (White Paper)
1944-01-03 1944 1940s 5 pages -2- The new Joint Board will assess its area needs, and submit a plan to the Minister for approval after survey of all available hospital resources in consultation with the profession and lay opinion. This approved plan will define the parts to be played by the differ...
| Institution: | MCR - The Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick |
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| Language: | English English |
| Published: |
1 March 1944
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/10796/BB666E60-DE02-4749-BB2A-CD34AFA2F574 http://hdl.handle.net/10796/977199EF-6248-4941-9977-3CE9AB212A71 |
| Summary: | 1944-01-03
1944
1940s
5 pages
-2- The new Joint Board will assess its area needs, and submit a plan to the Minister for approval after survey of all available hospital resources in consultation with the profession and lay opinion. This approved plan will define the parts to be played by the different sets of hospitals, voluntary and publicly owned. 3. The voluntary hospitals are to be allowed to retain self-autonomy: they will not be forced to join in the new hospital service plan and as each voluntary hospital is an independent unit, some may come in and others may stay out - so that no area uniformity is guaranteed. The Government hope they will generally collaborate, as if not it "would be many years before the new Joint Authorities could build up an adequate" hospital system for the whole population. This is a distinct flaw in the plan. It would have been better boldly to incorporate the voluntary institutions in one unified hospital system. If the voluntary hospital agrees to come into the scheme, its work will be based on a contract to provide specified services, in the plan of the local Joint Health Board and to abide by conditions applicable to all hospitals and settled centrally so as to secure uniformity. Payments for these services in accordance with centrally agreed scales will actually be less in amount than the total cost of the rendered service, so that the voluntary hospital system will have to rely on private philanthropy. In addition, however, to these particular payments, the voluntary hospitals will receive a grant (called "certain payments from central funds, presumably of the social security scheme") in respect of help in the scheme. This grant may be paid separately to each hospital concerned or be pooled for subsequent distribution through voluntary hospital channels. There will be "no interference with internal management", no surrender of independence and autonomy and no change in status in the voluntary hospitals. The present proposals will be discussed with voluntary hospital representatives later. 4. The inclusion of mental hospitals in the service presents difficulties, pending legislation reform of the Lunacy and Mental Deficiency Acts. But in spite of the legal and social handicaps the mental health services should be transferred to the New Joint Authority. Similarly hospitals for infectious diseases will be taken over. 5. All hospitals under control of the Joint Authority will be liable not only to special inspections but routine intermittent inspection not only to notice defects of organisation or management but to note the regard for up-to-dateness. This inspectorate will consist of highly qualified medical men, not necessarily employed whole time. Other professional experts will be similarly employed. GENERAL MEDICAL PRACTICE The Medical Services are emphasised throughout the report, and regarded as "the most important part of the proposals for a National Health Service". The family doctor as general practitioner is in the front line trench in disease fighting. He is mostly in touch with the general community. To retain a good and desirable doctor-patient relationship freedom of choice from available doctors is conceded as an acceptable principle. And the chosen doctor must be allowed to treat his patient as he desires, taking the responsibility for doing good service in the patient's
292/847/2/97 |
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| Physical Description: | TEXT |