HC Deb 30 March 1983 vol 40 cc332-3
9. Mrs. McElhone

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many geriatric beds there are in Glasgow.

Mr. John MacKay

In March 1981 there were 2,262 hospital beds for geriatric patients in the Greater Glasgow health board area. In addition, 2,566 beds for the elderly were provided in residential accommodation by local authorities and voluntary bodies.

Mrs. McElhone

What assurances can the Minister give me that the geriatric hospital that has been shelved for three years in Rutherglen will go ahead with the 240 proposed new beds? Does the Minister realise that in the south eastern district of Glasgow there are nearly 230,000 people, 20 per cent. of whom are over 60, but only 350 geriatric beds to serve them?

Mr. MacKay

The most recent estimates show that Greater Glasgow has slightly more beds than set out in the formula of 40 beds per 1,000 for people aged 75 or over. I agree that there is a problem of both the quality and location of beds in Glasgow. I am sure that the hon. Lady will be pleased to hear that my Department has approved schemes at both Rutherglen and Gartloch hospitals for 120 beds at each, which will lead to an improvement in geriatric and psychogeriatric provision in the area.

Mr. Craigen

In assessing provision for the elderly in the Glasgow area, how closely does the Minister liaise with his housing colleague in the Scottish Office on the provision of sheltered accommodation?

Mr. MacKay

Sheltered accommodation is an important part of the whole spectrum of care for the elderly. The Government have given money to the housing associations, which has allowed them to build sheltered housing at a faster rate than ever before. I very much hope that that progress will continue, because sheltered housing is a splendid way of keeping the elderly active and in the community.

Mr. Dewar

Will there not be a frightening shortfall of provision, not just in the hospital service, but in the geriatric service in the community? Is the Minister not upset and distressed by the fact that there have been so few jointly financed projects between local government and the health boards in Scotland? Would it not be better to do something about that scheme—thus getting away from the disadvantages met by local authorities in relation to the financial attractions of such a scheme, as against their counterparts in England—than to threap on about the ideological advantages of privatisation in the Health Service, as the hon. Gentleman has been doing for the last three or four minutes?

Mr. Mackay

As the hon. Gentleman knows, at a meeting with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities I discussed the whole question of the support finance scheme. I am considering ways in which that scheme can be improved. I am pleased to tell the House that in the coming financial year we are allocating £3.6 million to that scheme—a considerable increase over last year and a huge increase compared with the figure under the Labour party.