---

Dept of Health

Answer

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer from the Secretary of State for Defence on 1 December 2003, Official Report, column 39W, if he will make it his policy to (a) offer annual medical examinations to retired or ex-radiation workers and (b) to amend the guidelines to medical professionals to encourage them to note the profession of radiation workers in the medical notes of their families. [143034] Miss Melanie Johnson: The Ionising Radiation Regulations provides for an appointed doctor to undertake pre-employment health checks, reviews of health at least once a year while in work, and a review of health when the employment has ceased where this is necessary to protect the health of the individual. Authoritative scientific and medical opinion is that health checks for all persons with past employment in the radiation industry would, in most cases, be both clinically inappropriate and a diversion of valuable clinical time away from patients with known needs; unless the person indicates symptoms of disease, or the general practitioner has been informed by the appointed doctor of the special circumstances leading to a possible need for continuing surveillance. The content of patient records is essentially a matter for the clinical judgment of the practitioner, taking account of guidance from his or her professional body and all of the circumstances. However, in addition to a general obligation to render to patients all necessary and appropriate personal medical services--including offering to patients consultations and, where appropriate, physical examinations for the purposes of identifying, or reducing the risk of, disease or injury-- general practitioners in the national health service are required to seek and record relevant information about patients' and patients' families medical history as well as social factors (including housing, employment, and family circumstances) that may affect patients' health.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

143034; 415 c785-6W

Session

2003-04

Subjects

Health hazards Dockyards Medical examinations Radiation exposure Staff Screening

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk