§ 51. Mr. Collinsasked the Minister of Health the number of hospital beds which have been newly designated in the South West Regional Hospital Board's area during the last 12 months to the nearest convenient date; and the number of beds which have been removed from designation during the same period.
§ Miss Hornsby-SmithI assume the hon. Member has in mind beds designated for mental patients. During 1953, 185 such additional beds were provided and seven were withdrawn.
§ Mr. CollinsIs the hon. Lady aware that among that number were 10 beds designated in a hospital which had just closed a surgical ward through lack of staff, and in the region there were 6,000 on the waiting list and 200 pay beds less than 50 per cent. occupied? Will she examine the position, so that where pay beds are unoccupied the number can be reduced for the benefit of those on the waiting list?
§ Miss Hornsby-SmithIncluded in the figures I gave the hon. Gentleman were those of 108 in mental hospitals, 40 in long-stay annexes and 37 in a mental deficiency hospital which had previously been used for Civil Defence units.
§ 53. Mr. Chetwyndasked the Minister of Health when the additional beds for mental defectives in County Durham will be ready; and where they will be.
§ Miss Hornsby-SmithForty-three beds will be ready about the end of this year, and the remaining 100 about next July. All will be at Aycliffe Hospital.
§ 54. Mr. Chetwyndasked the Minister of Health how many people are on the waiting list of the Tees-side Hospital Group; and what is the percentage of beds in use as compared with the national average.
§ Miss Hornsby-SmithTwo thousand nine hundred at 30th September. The average bed occupancy for staffed beds in the group for the quarter ended 30th June was 85 per cent.; the national average for staffed beds of the same types was 83 per cent. for the year 1953.