§ LORD TEVIOTMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ [The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will reconsider the decision to close the Hove General Hospital casualty department.]
§ THE MINISTER OF STATE, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL SECURITY (BARONESS SEROTA)My Lords, no decision has yet been taken by Her Majesty's Government on the future of the casualty department at this hospital. The South East Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board, who are responsible for the accident and emergency services in the area have, after carrying out local consultations, recently submitted a recommendation to the Secretary of State for Social Services that the casualty department should be closed. I can assure the noble Lord that in coming to a decision the Secretary of State will carefully consider the recommendation and the views that have been ex-pressed by the interested bodies. Mean-while, as the noble Lord may be aware, because of staffing difficulties brought about by illness, the local hospital authority has had to withdraw from January 31 the already limited service provided at the casualty department, leaving only essential first-aid services at present.
§ LORD TEVIOTMy Lords, I thank the noble Baroness for her reply. Would she please remind her right honourable friend that this hospital serves an area 528 with a population of 400,000 and that the population laid down as qualifying for an accident unit is now up to 200,000? Would she also bear in mind that the Borough of Hove, with a hospital of 60 beds, contains 72,000 people with a higher average of senior citizens than the national average, and that many of them need this casualty department?
§ BARONESS SEROTAYes, my Lords, these are some of the considerations that my right honourable friend will bear in mind when the proposal comes before him.
§ LORD ROYLEMy Lords, in support of the noble Lord, Lord Teviot, may I ask my noble friend a couple of questions? Can she say how many casualties were dealt with in the casualty department at Hove Hospital during 1969? Further, may I ask her whether she fully appreciates the increase of population that takes place in this area during the holiday periods, and that if this department is closed ambulances will have to travel many miles to another hospital casualty department?
§ BARONESS SEROTAMy Lords, in reply to my noble friend's first question, in the year from October, 1968, to September, 1969, 4,587 patients attended this casualty department. With regard to my noble friend's further point, I think that it forms part of the general situation which we shall be considering when we come to a decision on the proposal of the Regional Board.
§ LORD TEVIOTMy Lords, can the noble Baroness please tell us whether the figure of 4,500 patients is higher or lower than the national scale for a unit of this kind?
§ BARONESS SEROTAMy Lords, I cannot give the noble Lord an immediate answer to that question, but I can tell him that this is half the number who were attending there in 1967.
§ LORD WAKEFIELD OF KENDALMy Lords, can the noble Baroness say where casualties will be taken now that this casualty department at Hove General Hospital is to be closed?
§ BARONESS SEROTAYes, my Lords. The new accident and emergency department of the Royal Sussex County Hospital, which was opened in September 529 1969, has full facilities and full capacity for dealing with all accident and emergency cases in the area that includes Hove.