§ Mr. Thompsonasked the Secretary of State for Scotland why the average sum spent on provisions per patient week is lower in psychiatric hospitals than iin all hospitals other than psychiatric.
§ Mr. Harry EwingThe averages to which the hon. Member refers conceal a wide range of costs for individual hospitals, from £3.54 to £6.34 for psychiatric hospitals and from £2.96 to over £8 for other hospitals. These variations reflect local circumstances: it seems likely that the lower average costs in psychiatric and long-stay hospitals reflect also factors such as the lower turnover of patients, the higher occupancy rate, the age of the patients and the generally lower levels of physical activity in these hospitals.