§ Mr. Georgeasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many non-psychiatric beds there are per 1,000 population in the Walsall Area Health Authority, the Birmingham region, and as a national average at present; how many non-psychiatric patients there are on the National Health Service waiting lists in Walsall; and what is the estimated shortfall of beds in the Walsall 311W Area Health Authority at the present time.
§ Dr. OwenWalsall has 3.1 non-psychiatric beds per 1,000 population. Figures for the West Midlands Region and England at 31st December 1975 were 4.4 and 5 respectively. At 31st March 1976, 4,534 patients were awaiting admission to non-psychiatric hospitals in Walsall, which is short of an estimated 220 non-psychiatric beds.