§ Mr. Nealeasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what the additional cost per annum for the taxpayer would be if private health treatment did not exist and all patients eligible to be treated under the National Health Service were to be so treated.
Dr. YaughanThere is insufficient information about total expenditure on private health treatment and types of treatment received by those otherwise eligible for NHS services to enable us to calculate what would be the extra cost to the NHS of providing these services. There are, however, about 31,000 beds in private hospitals and nursing homes providing a range of services from acute medical and surgical care to long-term nursing care. A significant amount of the 547W treatment and care provided in these hospitals and homes would undoubtedly fall to the NHS. The NHS would lose the benefit of income from private patients using NHS hospital facilities, estimated at £40 million for 1980–81. There is also an unknown amount of private general medical and dental practice.