§ 47. Mr. Awberyasked the Minister of Health if he is aware that aged sick are being sent from hospitals to mental homes, in order to secure accommodation which otherwise would not be available; and what provision is being made to increase the accommodation for these aged and chronic sick people in hospitals, other than mental hospitals, and in old people's homes.
§ Mr. Iain MacleodI am not aware of the tendency mentioned by the hon. Member, but accommodation is being provided outside mental hospitals in many ways. Some 1,500 beds have been provided in recent years in long-stay annexes, and the number of beds for the chronic sick in hospitals generally has been increasing. New homes for the aged and infirm in need of care and attention are being opened by county and county borough councils at the rate of over a hundred annually, and in addition provision is made by voluntary organisations, usually in association with local authorities.