§ Mr. Ralph Howellasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the total overall annual cost of catering for patients in hospital.
§ Mr. DeakinsTotal National Health Service expenditure on catering in England in 1976ȓ77 was £205 million, of which approximately £163 million was on catering for patients in hospital. The total in 1977–78 was £225 million, but a separate figure for catering for hospital patients in that year is not yet available.
DISTRIBUTION OF AWARDS (BY HEALTH REGIONS) AT 31 DECEMBER 1977—ENGLAND AND WALES Award holders Region Number of Consultants and Community Physicians A Plus A B C Northern … … … 856 2 28 71 188 Yorkshire … … … 845 1 23 69 188 Trent … … … 953 3 30 78 202 East Anglia … … … 476 6 18 51 83 Wessex … … … 669 2 19 58 140 Oxford … … … 562 5 24 58 114 South-Western … … … 714 6 19 58 157 West Midlands … … … 1,162 8 39 102 241 Mersey … … … 658 3 16 67 133 North-Western … … … 1,078 8 33 83 220 Wales … … … 698 1 22 64 148 All Thames regions (including postgraduate hospitals) 5,414 79 245 621 1,274 Note: Where a consultant serves more than one health authority he has been included in each.