§ Tim LoughtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many new intermediate care beds there have been in the last two years; [127565]
(2) where new NHS intermediate care bed capacity has been introduced in the last two years. [127566]
§ Dr. LadymanData are not available to assess the growth of intermediate care (IC) beds in the last two years. Between the 1999–2000 baseline for growth in IC beds and the end of June 2003, 3,600 additional beds have been established. New capacity has been established in all strategic health authorities but, because of restructuring within the national health service, precise data for each authority are not available.