§ Mr. CohenTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many National Health Service beds were lost in(a) Waltham Forest and (b) the United Kingdom since 1979.
§ Mrs. CurrieFrom 1979 to 1988, the number of patients treated in Waltham Forest per available bed rose from 9.9558W to 17.8 and in England from 14.9 to 22.3. The figures for the rest of the United Kingdom are matters for my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.
Average daily available beds and number of in-patients treated in Waltham Forest and in England are as follows:
1979 1987–88 Difference Waltham Forest Average daily available beds 3,311 2,254 -1,057 In-patients treated 32,753 40,052 +7,299 England Average daily beds available 361,670 296,777 -64,893 In-patients treated 5,400,120 6,619,354 +1,219,234