Mr. ROBINSONasked the Minister of Health the number of hospitals in England and Wales provided and aided, respectively, by local authorities; the total number of beds available; and the number of maternity, tuberculosis, infectious diseases, and other hospitals?
Mr. CHAMBERLAIN,pursuant to his reply [OFFICIAL REPORT, 4th February, 1926, Col. 320], supplied the following information:
As far as general hospitals are concerned, the information in my Department indicates that one large general hospital, with 750 beds, and three relatively small accident hospitals have been provided by local authorities, but the total number of beds is not known. Under the Local Authorities (Expenses) Act, 1887, sanctions have been given from time to time to donations and subscriptions by local authorities to voluntary hospitals, but these have generally been for small amounts. Since August, 1925, local authorities have been empowered by Section 64 of the Public Health Act, 1925, to make reasonable subscriptions or donations to voluntary hospitals to the extent of the produce of a penny rate. These payments do not require my sanction, and I am, therefore, unable to state how many hospitals have been aided in this manner.
The information with regard to hospitals of the other classes referred to by my hon. Friend is as follows:
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A. Hospitals provided by Local Authorities. Number. Beds. (1) For tuberculosis 158 10,963 (2) For acute infectious diseases 1,040* 37,700* (3) Maternity hospitals (not including maternity wards in general hospitals or Poor Law Institutions) 68 908 (4) Babies' hospitals 12 260 * Round figures. At 52 of these hospitals there are 2,230 beds for the treatment of tuberculosis.
B. Voluntary Hospitals aided by Local Authorities. Number. Beds. (1) General hospitals— (a) Used in connection with tuberculosis schemes 153 † (b) Used in connection with venereal diseases schemes 139 † (c)Maternity sections used in connection with maternity and child welfare schemes 12 175 (2)Tuberculosis hospitals 127 8,563 (3) Maternity hospitals (not including maternity sec tions in general hospitals) 52 917 (4)Babies' hospitals 12 334 † Available beds used as and when required. The figures under the above headings are exclusive of accommodation in homes for unmarried mothers and their babies, observation wards in connection with maternity and child welfare schemes, and convalescent homes.
C. Institutions provided by Poor Law Authorities. (1) Institutions wholly for the sick, exclusive of insti tutions for mental cases 64 35,250 (2)Mixed institutions (with a total accommodation of some 180,000) 590 79,000‡ ‡Beds for the sick.