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communication between hospital and community services to patients.
Those who wish to undertake research into the causation or treatment of
rheumatism and arthritis may apply to the MRC for financial support for
projects. An important factor which is at present retarding progress is
the comparative lack of interested researchers willing to work on these
subjects who possess the necessary scientific skills and expertise. The
complexity of modern immunology and biochemistry are such that only the
most expert groups can make progress in these very difficult fields of
research.
Apart from research into cause and methods of treatment. I should mention
the emphasis that has been placed as well on the alleviation of suffering
from these painful conditions and helping those crippled by them to live
as full lives as possible. In recent years the Department has been devot-
ing special attention to improving rehabilitation services, much of which
is concerned with arthritis and rheumatology. By allocating a sum of
£1
million, which was used to make some improvements in accommodation and
additions to staff and equipment, the Department has been able to designate
25 demonstration centres in various parts of the country to act as focal
points for the development of rehabilitation services, illustrating good
practice showing what can be done for the conditions treated at the centres
and how services can best be linked with those in the community. Many of
the centres specialise in rheumatology and all the remainder do some work
in this field. The centres provide courses, demonstrations and sometimes
secondments for general practitioners, hospital doctors, nurses, members of
the remedial profession, social workers and others interested in rehabili-
tation. They also carry out research and evaluation of aids and equipment.
Physiotherapists and occupational therapists can do much to help arthritis
sufferers to achieve and retain mobility. I am glad to say that the various
initiatives we have taken to improve rehabilitation services have resulted
in considerable increases over the last two or three years in the numbers of
remedial therapists employed in the National Health Service. How far we can
keep up this expansion depends of course a good deal on the rate of growth
of financial resources that can be made available to the NHS.
I am sorry I cannot send you a more helpful reply with regard to the use of
DMSO for treating arthritis but I hope you will appreciate from what I have
said that we are fully alive in this country to the needs of arthritis
sufferers.
You
ел
Pamle Tenn
