Socialities
Rehabilitation and reports custos
Sir Ronald Tunbridge's sub-committee of the Standing Medical Advisory Committee, set up to make proposals for the improvement of rehabilitation services, has reported: There is little encouragement to be drawn from the present state of the rehabilitation services, and Sir Ronald and his colleagues have had particularly to emphasise the need, not merely for improved co-ordination and better administrative standards, but also for a separate rehabilitation department in every district general hospital. A general rehabilitation service of 100 places should, the report says, be available at every hospital serving communities of 200,000. Likewise, there should be provision for a psychiatric day hospital of 160 places and a geriatric day hospital of 80 places. The purpose is noble and the recommendations of the committee basically sensible, but one must still be concerned at this further burgeoning in the size and responsibilities of the big hospitals, especially when there are encouraging signs that the Government are beginning to show sensible regret at the whole concept of the hospital plan.
The Government have announced that the changes in the Civil Service pension scheme to which they committed themselves some time ago are now imminent. The Civil Service Joint Superannuation Review Committee reported in February, and their conclusions have been endorsed by the National Staff Side. The new system will come into operation as from June 1, 1972, though certain benefits will be backdated to March.
Up to May 23, 8,300 claims for attendance allowances for disabled children were rejected, that is, about a third of the total number of claims. 1,500 of these were allowed on review. The situation will further improve when the National Insurance Bill has been enacted and the allowance extended to those disabled, including children, who need help by day or at night. Whatever has been said, in this paper and elsewhere, critical of the Governments performance in the field of disablement, there can be no doubt that Sir Keith Joseph has made remarkable changes in the overall situation.
Another worthy product has come from the excellent Office of Health Economics and its charming Director, George TeelingSmith. It is a study of migraine in Britain and, as Teeling-Smith says, unlike many of his reports, one that shows little but gloom on the health horizon. The incidence of migraine is serious and increasing; little is being done to produce a real cure. Moreover, though the initial amount that would be required for research is small it would, Teeling-Smith avers, be likely to lead to many side-breakthroughs in medical science.
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