The Health Services White Paper : The Labour Party's policy
1944-09 1944 1940s 22 pages - 9 - There would also be secretaries and nurses to relieve the doctors of routine work which they should certainly not be doing, and a dispensary for medicines. Patients would still choose their own doctor, who would visit them in their homes when necessary. But each d...
| Institution: | MCR - The Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick |
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| Language: | English English |
| Published: |
September 1944
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/10796/95926DDD-A85C-4240-83E8-C659130F7A46 http://hdl.handle.net/10796/791699E6-22A9-468D-8A5B-974AECE4EB87 |
| Summary: | 1944-09
1944
1940s
22 pages
- 9 - There would also be secretaries and nurses to relieve the doctors of routine work which they should certainly not be doing, and a dispensary for medicines. Patients would still choose their own doctor, who would visit them in their homes when necessary. But each doctor would do much better work with the full equipment, the colleagues to consult, regular off-duty times and holidays, and refresher courses. From the public's point of view, there would be two minor disadvantages. First, since, say 6 or 8 doctors would be working from one building instead of 6 or 8 separate surgeries, some patients would have to go further to the doctor than at present. By siting health centres carefully, near say a shopping centre with good transport facilities, this disadvantage could be minimised. The other disadvantage is that in emergency one's own doctor might not be on duty, but one of his colleagues. This disadvantage is often exaggerated by the opponents of health centres. At present, a doctor maybe out and one has to get someone else; or, indeed, it may be impossible to find a doctor. With a health centre this could never happen. The White Paper proposes that health centres should be built and owned by county and county borough councils (in Scotland, directly by the Secretary of State, unless he delegates his functions). The proposal to set up health centres will come from the joint authority (which has the function of general health planning), in consultation with the local medical profession. It will have to be approved by the Minister. And then a local council will have to set up the Centres. In the last resort, presumably if the doctors object, the Minister will have power to act in the public interest. Note that the Centre will be owned by the local authority, not the joint authority, while the doctors in it will be employed by the Central Medical Board, though with a special contractual clause linking them with the local authority. Many doctors are now opposing the idea of health centres. They say this is because it is proposed that there should be no competition for patients inside Centres, which means the doctors will be paid by salary or in some way which does not involve capitation fees. They doubtless fear that the public will prefer the health centres and that single practices as we know them now, will in due course disappear. They therefore suggest that no general plans for health centres shall be introduced until there has been a considerable experimental period. The White Paper admits that the health centre idea is an experiment, but promises to expend to the maximum justified by practical experience. The Labour Party warmly welcomes the proposal to set up health centres. There must be no weakening in the Government's attitude. Since the development of health centres is in the public interest, the Labour Party would be glad to see minimum figures laid down, to guide joint authorities in planning the number of health centres in their areas. The Labour Party makes the following additional proposals in connection with health centres:- 1. It would help in the unification of the health services if health centres were built and maintained by the new joint authorities, and not by the present local authorities. 2. Wherever possible, a health centre should have under the same roof, or immediately adjoining, the maternity and child welfare clinic, and other clinics concerned with the maintenance of normal health. This would do more then anything else to bridge the gap between the general practitioners and the clinics.
292/847/3/166 |
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| Physical Description: | TEXT |