§ Mr. RedmondTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospitals have closed since 1979(a) nationally and (b) in the Doncaster area.
§ Mr. DorrellWe are aware of 463 hospitals or facilities that have been approved for total closure from 1979 to 31 December 1989. Of these, two hospitals were in the Doncaster area.
Over the same period, the NHS has increased in-patient treatment as follows:
1979 1988–89 England 5,400,120 6,585,982 Doncaster 28,103 41,969 That is an increase of 22 per cent. nationally—49.3 per cent. in the Doncaster area.
Day case treatment also increased as follows:
1979 1988–89 England 592,061 1,016,327 Doncaster 2,909 4,961 That is an increase of 71.7 per cent. nationally—70.5 per cent. in the Doncaster area.
From 1979–80 to 1989–90 expenditure on the NHS capital programme has grown by 55 per cent. in real terms.