§ Mr. Carter-Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will give his best estimate of the average cost per week of a bed in an acute nursing hospital under the National Health Service; if he will give an estimate of the number of beds per week occupied by geriatric patients in an acute nursing hospital; and if he will make a statement.
§ Sir George YoungProvisional figures for the year ended 31 March 1980 show an average weekly cost of about £330 for treating patients in acute, mainly acute and partly acute hospitals in England. Information is not readily available, but it is estimated that the average number of beds in such hospitals occupied during that period by patients under the care of a consultant geriatrician was about 18,000.
£ million 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 War pensions 258 283 310 340 375 429 Industrial disablement benefit 145 167 191 216 244 287 Invalidity benefit 449 565 704 840 995 1,169 Attendance allowance 89 114 143 168 203 243 Invalid care allowance — 2 3 4 4 5 Non-contributory invalidity pension 12 34 37 46 57 71 Housewives non-contributory invalidity pension — — 7 23 28 33 Retirement pension 4,797 5,662 6,613 7,552 8,814 10,465 Supplementary pension 465 573 665 801 895 1,088