HC Deb 01 May 1967 vol 746 cc73-4
23. Mr. Dance

asked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that the waiting time for urgent cases to be admitted to Bromsgrove General Hospital is on average three months; and what steps he is taking to prevent such delays.

Mr. Snow

For urgent acute cases there is no such delay; for geriatric and chronic sick patients there is difficulty in finding accommodation, but on 24th April only four such patients on the waiting list were classified as "urgent" none having been so classified for more than 18 days; one of them has since been admitted.

Mr. Dance

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that an elderly constituent of mine died in tragic circumstances while awaiting admission to this hospital? Further, is he aware that, with the growth of the new town of Redditch, this problem will escalate? When are we to have an announcement of when the new hospital is to be started and, more important, when it is to be completed?

Mr. Snow

I have read the correspondence between the hon. Gentleman and the regional hospital board about his elderly constituent, and I say at once that it was a very sad case. A number of beds have been taken out of commission because of the upgrading of another hospital in order to make it available as a district general hospital. The Dudley and Stourbridge Hospital Management Committee is considering what help it can give by making some more accommodation available to the mid-Worcestershire area.

Mrs. Braddock

Is it not time that the whole question of admission to hospital was looked into? If a person can pay, he can get priority in admission. Is it not time that our National Health Service put an end to this sort of thing?

Mr. Snow

The question of queue jumping, if one may so describe it, is being urgently considered at present by my right hon. Friend.