§ 60. Mr. Oliverasked the Minister of Health how many beds were unoccupied at the Nottingham General Hospital on the 27th May last; and why Mr. A. E. Fletcher, Woodend Road, Heanor, was sent home on that day after being treated at the hospital following a pit accident and was found to be dead after being taken back to the hospital in an ambulance the same day.
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§ Mr. Iain MacleodI am informed that 16 beds were unoccupied. The patient was not admitted because full examination, including an X-ray, did not appear to show that it was necessary. I am informed that at the subsequent inquest no reflections were passed on the treatment given at the hospital, and that in evidence the consultant pathologist expressed the view that the rupture which was the cause of death occurred some hours after the examination at the hospital.