§ 2. Mr. GillTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received from Shropshire regarding the establishment of National Health Service hospital trusts.
§ The Secretary of State for Health (Mr. Kenneth Clarke)I have received a few letters from people considering the possibility of forming NHS hospital trusts for cottage hospitals in Shropshire.
§ Mr. GillWill my right hon. and learned Friend use his best endeavours to enable my constituents to keep their local hospitals, either through an independent trust or through a National Health Service trust? Will he also instruct West Midlands regional health authority to facilitate that process?
§ Mr. ClarkeI know that, with the opening of the new district general hospital in Telford, Shropshire district health authority faces difficulty in deciding which services the hospital should replace, and what pattern of hospitals is needed for the future. The west midlands region and I want Shropshire to deliver the best possible system of health care within the reasonable resources available. Self-governing hospitals in the National Health Service will have to satisfy the Government that they have good, viable plans, and are likely to attract NHS patients from districts and other GPs. We are looking now for the first candidates to be ready to come into operation probably early in 1991.
§ Mr. GrocottWill the Secretary of State confirm that, even after the opening of the new Telford hospital, there will be fewer hospital beds in Shropshire than 10 years ago? Will he have a word with the Chancellor and tell him that the £40 million bang handed out as a tax bonus for private medical care is completely irrelevant to the people of Shropshire? What is needed is a mere £2 million—that is the most likely estimate—to prevent any beds or hospitals from being closed.
§ Mr. ClarkeThe number of hospital beds has fallen in just about every advanced medical system in the world over the past 10 years. I trust that the same has been true in every county of England over that period, as I hope that they are all moving towards day care and better use of facilities in line with modern medical practice.
I believe that Shropshire, with its new facilities, is now extremely well provided for. It is a pity to see much-loved cottage hospitals closing, but I approved the recent proposals only when I was satisfied that a better service to patients would result.
§ Mr. BiffenWill my right hon. and learned Friend reconsider the judgments that he has been making recently in respect of hospital closures in Shropshire in the light of the latest developments, which cast a shadow over the likely continuation of the orthopaedic hospital at Gobowen?
§ Mr. ClarkeI will look into the matter, but at present I am familiar and up to date only with the closures that I approved shortly before Christmas. I continue to take a close interest in what is happening in Shropshire, but I am currently waiting for the results of the district health authority meeting which I believe is to take place on Thursday.
I know of my right hon. Friend's great concern for the future of hospital facilities in his constituency. The recent proposals were amended to meet his wishes and those of the inhabitants of Oswestry in part. I have no doubt that the future of the orthopaedic hospital is a matter in which he and I must continue to take a close interest.