National Health Service : The Government's Policy (White Paper)
1944-01-03 1944 1940s 5 pages -3- best interests. The acceptance of these principles will ward off much professional apprehension. But of course where public finance and state administration is involved, there must be Government regulation of the nature of the service on broad lines. Admittedly, a...
| 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/AE0AB0EF-E6C9-4B49-A194-7342AA9E8C0D http://hdl.handle.net/10796/18307DCB-8462-4859-BC69-479E22BB8527 |
| Summary: | 1944-01-03
1944
1940s
5 pages
-3- best interests. The acceptance of these principles will ward off much professional apprehension. But of course where public finance and state administration is involved, there must be Government regulation of the nature of the service on broad lines. Admittedly, a general practitioner working alone, without adequate facilities, however well-intentioned or skilled is handicapped, and so team work is approved officially, provided some elasticity is allowed. Any qualified doctor will apparently be allowed to come into the scheme by contract, full-time or part-time, in a health centre, group practice or separately. But he will have available the consultant and hospital and clinic arrangements provided by the National Scheme. CLINICS All classes of health services will be included in the new scheme, including arrangements for home visiting, home nursing, midwifery and health visitors. The local Joint Authority will be empowered to continue present clinics, and properly related them to similar services nationally. Any area plans must be approved by the Minister as some services may most conveniently be provided and maintained by County and County Borough Councils, than, by the Joint Authority. The family doctor should be more closely associated with the special clinics, e.g. child welfare centres. These local services will include maternity and child welfare arrangements, school medical service, cancer centres, tuberculosis dispensaries, and other infectious diseases work, V.D. treatment, all with arrangements for hospital linkage whenever necessary. New services will have to be planned, such as home nursing without charge to patients, either directed by the local authority or indirectly by arrangements with other bodies as well as dental and ophthalmic services etc. HEALTH CENTRES Health Centres or arrangements for medical grouped practice are commended for a place in the future scheme. These ideas have already been well discussed publicly and special examples of health centres used as an illustration. The Medical Planning Commission of the B.M.A. also commending the conducting of medical practice in specially designed and equipped premises where groups of medical men (in close or loose partnership or association) could collaborate or share up-to-date resources of diagnosis or treatment (instrumental or otherwise). The Government's policy agrees with health centres but it desires experimentally to encourage grouped practice without special premises. In the new health service (as throughout the service) the patient will have freedom of choice to employ any one of the doctors available, whether the doctors are in a health centre, group practice or practising separately in isolation. Any type of practice should provide for home visiting as well as surgery or clinic attendance. The health centres will normally in England and Wales be provided and maintained by County and County Borough Councils. Their provision and distribution must accord with the general national plan, approved by the Minister after professional consultation. CONSULTANTS A consultant service will be organised for skilled advice available without charge appropriate to any case on request from the attending general practitioner. This will be based on the hospital services. It will be part of the duty of local Joint Boards. It will be organised probably from a teaching centre as a focus partly by direct arrangement and partly by
292/847/2/97 |
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| Physical Description: | TEXT |