§ Dr. Evan Harris:To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the capital cost is to the NHS of a new hospital bed. [128929]
§ Dr. Ladyman:An indicative cost of creating a new-build hospital bed is approximately £380,000, excluding value added tax, which reflects the current business case approval level. The cost includes the capital construction cost, equipment costs and professional fees incurred, as well as a proportion of the costs of the supporting services within the new hospital, such as operating theatres, out-patient departments, accident and emergency services, catering, office accommodation, public areas, pharmacy, pathology and radiology. It does not include the running costs to make the bed operational, such as staffing, linen or cleaning.
Figures for providing a new bed in an existing hospital or under a private finance initiative scheme are not available, as there are many factors that can influence the outcome for each of these schemes.