§ Mrs. Dunwoodyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many hospitals are currently awaiting opening; how many hospital wards are currently awaiting opening; and how many beds are involved in each case.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeAs I explained in my reply to the hon. Member of 22 November 1982—[Vol. 32, c.375] — the information requested is not collected routinely by our Department. Information on hospital facilities awaiting opening was collected by special inquiry in March 1982. The position at these hospitals in April 1983 was as follows:
University Hospital, Nottingham
591 beds in 20 wardsChase Farm Hospital, Enfield
56 beds in 2 wardsKettering Hospital
34 beds in 2 wardsWitney Hospital
42 beds in 1 wardDerriford District General Hospital, Plymouth
30 beds in 2 wardsWalsgrave General Hospital, Coventry
38 beds in 2 wards.These problems result fom the placing of contracts some years ago for construction of new hospitals or wards when over-optimistic assumptions had been made about the availability of revenue to open them. We are pressing the authorities concerned to give high priority in their planning to the early opening of unused new wards and I am satisfied that the problem will now be reduced quite rapidly. Nottingham health authority, in particular, has drawn up firm plans to open some 400 beds in the University hospital in the next two years based on realistic resource assumptions.
We are now only agreeing to the placing of contracts for new hospitals when we have been reassured about the planning of the revenue consequences.