5.
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he has any plans to introduce or expand visiting services for physiotherapy and chiropody.
Whether to introduce or extend community physiotherapy services is a matter for individual area health authorities in the light of local circumstances and availability of resources. As regards chiropody, guidance has been issued to health authorities advising them to examine the scope for more economical alternatives to domiciliary treatment which would not adversely affect the standard of service.
Will the Minister say whether there has been any examination of the cost of a domiciliary service and of the benefit that such a service might give, compared with the present residential treatment in hospital? Would not a domiciliary service free beds and be cheaper than the present hospital treatment?
We have recently had a report from the Health Service research unit at Canterbury on the subject of community physiotherapy services. We have circulated it to health authorities, and when we have their reactions we shall consider whether further guidance is necessary.
Is my hon. Friend aware that there is also a considerable shortage of physiotherapy services in hospitals in many parts of the country and that this is partly due to a lack of proper teachers for training courses? Despite the actions of the Opposition in recent days, can my hon. Friend help on this matter?
My hon. Friend has made an important point. My Department has drawn the attention of regional administrators to the importance of increasing output from the NHS physiotherapy schools, and we have suggested action that they might take to bring about this end.
Will the hon. Gentleman bear in mind the steadily increasing numbers of elderly people in our society and the pressing need to do everything possible to keep them fit and out of geriatric hospitals? Will he urge and help local authorities to provide chiropody services in day care centres and clubs for the elderly until we can afford the money and have the personnel to provide home visiting again?
There is a shortage of resources for the NHS, which provides the chiropody services. I take the hon. Lady's point that this is a way in which we could provide better services for elderly people. However, there is a shortage of State-registered chiropodists. We are doing our best to expand output in the training schools and we start new training schools from time to time, but these things take time. In the meantime, we have advised health authorities on ways in which they can effectively improve the existing standard of services within present resource constraints.