IMPACT OF ROYAL COLLEGES' RECOMMENDATIONS ON RURAL AREAS

EDM number 1615 in 1997-98, proposed by Nick Harvey on 27/07/1998.

That this House notes the target standards for junior medical staffing being issued by the Royal Colleges, sees that they suggest a change in treatment structure away from small groups of doctors who generalise to larger teams of specialist consultants in centralised locations; regrets that if this structure is applied to the geographically remote hospitals serving smaller populations many local services could be closed down and moved to more distant central units; observes the damage such closures would have on staff morale, recruitment and retention; acknowledges the inconvenience which this would impose on patients and the potential threat to their health; expresses concern that junior doctors would get a narrower range of experiences and that as a consequence their training would suffer; and calls on the Royal Colleges to review their guidance to geographically remote hospitals.

This motion has been signed by a total of 55 MPs.