29. Miss Rathboneasked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that a private soldier was sent, on the night of Sunday, 28th January, to a hospital in Hastings where he was refused admission on the ground that beds must be kept for air-raid cases; that he returned home on foot and by omnibus through the snow, and was sent next day to the Buchanan Hospital, Hastings, where he died within three days from pneumonia; and whether a further direction will be given to hospitals in Hastings that cases of illness should not be rejected for the sake of keeping empty beds?
§ Mr. ElliotI have had inquiries made at the three hospitals at Hastings where beds are provided for air-raid casualties and can find no evidence that a soldier was refused admission as alleged by the hon. Member. I am assured that the hospitals fully understand that they should not refuse admission to anyone requiring in-patient treatment in order to keep beds empty for possible air-raid casualties. I do not think, therefore, that any further direction to the hospitals is required.
Miss RathboneAre we to understand that hospitals are not required to keep a proportion of their beds empty? Seeing that the enormous supply of beds for civilian people, pre-war, was not in excess of the demand, is it not evident that the hospitals have an obligation to keep a certain proportion of their beds empty for necessary cases?
§ Mr. ElliotThat is not so in any way. In the first place, no hospital is required to keep any bed empty for air-raid casualties if it is required for urgent cases, civilian or military, especially military, and, furthermore, extra accommodation is being arranged for by beds which are being added to the existing accommodation.
Miss RathboneWill the Minister consider the case, which reached me this morning, of a blind old woman who was refused admission to a hospital?