§ Mr. Lawrenceasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many extra beds will be made available to the National Health Service in East Staffordshire district by phasing out pay beds; and what representations he has received on this matter from East Staffordshire district.
§ Dr. OwenIf the proposal for Staffordshire AHA as a whole in Schedule 2 to the Healtsh Services Bill is enacted, the maximum number of pay beds available in the area will be reduced by 12 to 53. It will in the first place be for the Staffordshire area authority to discuss locally how this reduction should be effected. It is too early to say how many beds will become available to the NHS in the south-east district. My right hon. Friend has not received any representations on this matte: from South-East Staffordshire.
§ Mr. Hal Millerasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether the calculations of the occupancy rate of health service beds in NHS hospitals on the basis 418W of the returns made by those hospitals on form SH3 in fact include pay bed patients.
§ Dr. OwenYes, since both NHS and private patients may be admitted to any of the beds in the hospital.
§ Mr. Hal Millerasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether the method of calculating the occupancy rate of pay beds in NHS hospitals takes account of ward closures—e.g., for cleaning, repairs or staff shortages—as is the case when calculating the rate of occupancy of health service beds in those hospitals.
§ Dr. OwenTemporary closure of beds affects the inclusive bed occupancy rate for NHS and private patients combined. As the number of beds authorised for use by private patients would not necessarily be changed because of such closure there is no reason why the private patients occupancy rate should be affected. Private patients may be admitted to any bed within an authorised hospital and the closure of particular wards or beds does not necessarily affect the number of private patients admitted. The number of private patients at any one time is limited in the terms of the authorisaion.
§ Mr. Hal Millerasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether there is any difference in the method adopted for calculating from the returns made by NHS hospitals on form SH3 the occupancy rates for pay beds and health service beds in those hospitals.
§ Dr. OwenNHS hospital bed occupancy rates gives the percentage of available beds which are accupied by all inpatients in the hospital whether NHS or private. The pay bed occupancy rate is the number of paying patients occupying a bed in the hospital as a percentage of the number of beds authorised for such use.
§ Mr. Hal Millerasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether the occupancy rates for both pay beds and health service beds in NHS hospitals are calculated on the basis of the returns made by those hospitals on form SH3.
§ Dr. OwenThe returns made on form SH3 are used to provide an inclusive occupancy rate for all beds, NHS and private and also an occupancy rate for authorised pay beds.
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