§ 9. Mr. Brocklebank-Fowlerasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will take steps to ensure that the East Anglian area health authority has sufficient resources to provide the 160-bed unit for the elderly planned for the Queen Elizabeth hospital, King's Lynn.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeCapital funds are allocated to the 14 regional health authorities according to their relative need. It is the responsibility of regional health authorities themselves to determine the order of priority of individual building schemes within their capital programmes in the light of their detailed knowledge of local needs.
§ Mr. Brocklebank-FowlerIs the Minister aware that his reply will cause great concern in North-West Norfolk? The community health council has called for the provision of 160 beds. Unless it gets them, there is a racing certainty that there will be a shortage of more than 72 beds for geriatric provision in the district.
§ Mr. ClarkeThe region has made increased provision for geriatric services in King's Lynn. The higher design standards have reduced the number of beds that can be provided in the present allocation to 96. I know that the region accepts that there is a continuing problem. I hope that the new district health authority will be examining ways of overcoming it.