§ 1. Mr. Edģar Granvilleasked the Minister of Labour if he is aware that public assistance officers are finding it impossible to fulfil the statutory obligation of accommodating aged and sick people in county institutions owing to a continued shortage of staff in Suffolk as well as other counties; whether he has considered an appeal from the County Councils Association for the direction of staff to these overcrowded institutions; and what action he has taken in order to relieve the suffering of these old people.
§ The Minister of Labour (Mr. Ernest Bevin)I am aware that public assistance institutions are experiencing difficulty in some areas owing to shortage of nursing staff. I am doing everything possible to provide the necessary staff for these institutions, and, in the case of the seven public assistance institutions in Suffolk, 360 vacancies for one matron, three sisters and 14 assistant nurses have been filled recently. I shall continue to do my best to provide staff, wherever needed, but my hon. Friend will be aware of the acute shortage of nursing staff for all purposes.
§ Mr. GranvilleMay I ask my right hon. Friend if he is aware that many of these old people are bedridden and, in some cases, mentally incapable of looking after themselves, and that, in many cases, the right hon. Gentleman has called up their relatives, and that it is very serious indeed? Is he aware that there are beds available, if the Minister will enable some of these institutions and hospitals to get staff to look after these people?
§ Mr. BevinAs I have pointed out over and over again in the House, this question of nurses is an acute problem. I cannot make nurses in a day, but I am doing my level best, by training and everything that I can do, to fill up the gap.
§ 38. Mr. Charles Whiteasked the Minister of Health what is the average weekly cost per inmate in the public assistance institutions of Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Staffordshire and Cheshire.
§ The Minister of Health (Mr. Willink)The latest period for which complete figures are available is the year ended 31st March, 1938, and they relate separately to the 31 institutions in the four counties. I will, with permission, circulate these figures in the OFFICIAL REPORT.
§ Following are the figures:
§ Average weekly cost per inmate at Public Assistance Institutions of Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Staffordshire and Cheshire.
| Year ended 31st March, 1938 | ||||
| Institution | Cost per inmate per week | |||
| Derbyshire | s. | d. | ||
| Ashbourne | … | … | 26 | 11.7 |
| Bakewell | … | … | 23 | 10.1 |
| Belper | … | … | 17 | 0.9 |
| Chapel-en-le-Frith | … | … | 24 | 5.1 |
| Chesterfield | … | … | 25 | 3.6 |
| Glossop | … | … | 28 | 5.7 |
| Shardlow | … | … | 23 | 1.2 |
| Nottinghamshire | ||||
| Basford | … | … | 22 | 8.1 |
| Bingham | … | … | 1.6 | 8.3 |
| East Retford | … | … | 25 | 11.8 |
| Mansfield | … | … | 29 | 1.8 |
| Newark | … | … | 24 | 10.7 |
| Southwell | … | … | 29 | 11.3 |
| Worksop | … | … | 23 | 0.5 |
| Institution | Cost per inmate per week | ||||
| Staffordshire | s. | d. | |||
| Cannock | … | … | … | 22 | 11.6 |
| Cheadle | … | … | … | 22 | 0.4 |
| Leek | … | … | … | 23 | 1.4 |
| Lichfield | … | … | … | 22 | 7.4 |
| Sedgley | … | … | … | 23 | 2.2 |
| Stafford | … | … | … | 19 | 10.3 |
| Stone | … | … | … | 21 | 1.7 |
| Tamworth | … | … | … | 21 | 3.2 |
| Uttoxeter | … | … | … | 28 | 11.1 |
| Wordsley | … | … | … | 39 | 3.8 |
| Cheshire | |||||
| Arclid | … | … | … | 26 | 1.6 |
| Bucklow | … | … | … | 19 | 11.3 |
| Dutton | … | … | … | 27 | 9.5 |
| Macclesfield | … | … | … | 29 | 9.2 |
| Nantwich | … | … | … | 23 | 6.1 |
| Northwich | … | … | … | 21 | 9.2 |
| Tarvin | … | … | … | 37 | 3.8 |
§ Note.—The foregoing figures show the net cost of maintenance after an adjustment where necessary in respect of casuals. They include loan charges, lout not capital expenditure defrayed from revenue or superannuation expenditure or recoveries in respect of the maintenance of inmates.