§ 18. Mr. Fisherasked the Minister of Health if he will state the latest available differences between individual hospitals in the length of stay in hospital after comparable operations.
§ Mr. K. RobinsonI regret that this information is not available centrally.
§ Mr. FisherHas the Minister read a study in the Lancet showing that, for instance, in the case of a hernia operation discharge after one day seems quite as satisfactory as after six days? If that is so, can he estimate the annual extra cost to the National Health Service of often unnecessarily long hospitalisation?
§ Mr. RobinsonThe extra cost is considerable, but these are clinical decisions. It is not for the Minister to tell doctors how long their patients should stay in hospital. But I call their attention to the savings that can be achieved if they find themselves able to discharge their patients earlier.
§ Sir J. Vaughan-MorganDoes the Minister agree that there is a very strong argument for something like the medical audit such as is done in the American hospitals?
§ Mr. RobinsonThere are advantages and disadvantages in a medical audit, but I am always ready to consider any suggestion by the right hon. Gentleman.