§ Mr. J. GARDNERasked the Minister of Health if he will furnish a return for the latest possible date of the numbers and beds, on the lines of the return given in the House of Commons on 12th December, 1929, for hospitals provided by local authorities, with separate figures of institutions formerly provided by the Poor Law authorities, voluntary hospitals aided by local authorities, and unaided voluntary hospitals, giving if possible expenditure in each class?
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The information with regard to hospitals of the other classes referred to in the question is as follows: ENGLAND AND WALES. A.—Hospitals provided by Local Authorities. — Number. Beds. Expenditure (in round figures) of Local Authorities in 1928–29. £ (1) For tuberculosis 166 12,804 1,865,000* (2) For acute infectious diseases 987† 36,635† 3,620,000† (3) Maternity hospitals (not including maternity wards in general hospitals or Poor Law Institutions). 80 1,040 268,000‡ (4) Babies' hospitals 9 233 * Including the expenditure in connection with beds for tuberculosis mentioned in the following note. † At 44 of these hospitals there are 2,200 beds for the treatment of tuberculosis. The expenditure on these beds is excluded from item (2). ‡ Including expenditure in respect of maternity sections in general hospitals and payments to homes for unmarried mothers and their babies, which cannot be separated.
§ Mr. GREENWOOD, pursuant to his reply [OFFICIAL REPORT, 13th November, 1930; col. 1874, Vol. 244], supplied the following information:
The attached table shows the position at 31st March, 1930, with the exception of hospitals for acute infectious diseases for which the latest available figures relate to 31st December, 1929. So far as general hospitals are concerned, the information in my Department is that one large general hospital, with 875 beds, and three relatively small accident hospitals were provided by local authorities at the 31st March last. Since that date 17 hospitals, with approximately 12,500 beds, which were provided under the Poor Law Acts have been appropriated as general hospitals under the Public Health Acts, but the expenditure on these hospitals for the year 1928–29 is included in Part C of the table below. There are also three Poor Law institutions or infirmaries of which parts only have been appropriated as general hospitals. The number of beds in the appropriated parts is not known. Subscriptions or donations made by local authorities in pursuance of Section 64 of the Public Health Act, 1925, amounted in 1928–29 to£30,000. Contributions made by boards of guardians to public hospitals with the consent of the Minister of Health, in pursuance of Section 38 of the Poor Law Act, 1927, amounted in 1928–29 to£38,000.
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B.—Voluntary Hospitals aided by Local Authorities. — Number. Beds. Expenditure (in round figures) of Local Authorities in 1928–29. £ (1) Tuberculosis hospitals 139 9,298 821,000* (2) General hospitals— (a) Used in connection with tuberculosis schemes. 166 † (b) Used in connection with venereal diseases schemes. 130 † Not available. (c) Maternity sections used in connection with maternity and child welfare schemes. 26 279 1114,000‡ (3) Materity hospitals (not including maternity sections in general hospitals). 64 1,337 (4) Babies' hospitals 14 347 * Including expenditure of the Welsh National Memorial Association on sanitoria and hospitals. † Available beds used as and when required. ‡ Including expenditure in respect of maternity sections in general hospitals and payments to homes for unmarried mothers sad their babies, which cannot be separated.
The figures under the above headings as to numbers of hospitals and beds are exclusive of accommodation in homes for unmarried mothers and their babies, observation wards in connection with maternity and child welfare centres, and convalescent homes. Those under B (2) (c) are exclusive of accommodation used by Local Authorities in general hospitals for special or complicated maternity cases, as regards which figures are not available.
C.—Institutions formerly provided by Poor Law Authorities. — Number. Beds. Expenditure of Local Authorities in 1928–29. £ (1) Institutions wholly for the sick, exclusive of institutions for mental cases. 73 40,000 4,316,000 (2) General institutions (with a total accommodation of some 188,000). 652 83,000* 8,880,900† * Beds in infirm and sick wards. † Total expenditure on general institutions.