§ Mr. Bishopasked the Minister of Health what is the average length of stay of patients in hospitals in the Sheffield Regional Hospital Board area compared with the rest of the country; if he will give comparative figures for maternity cases; and if he will make a statement regarding the bed and staff situation.
§ Mr. K. RobinsonThe following table compares the average length of stay in the Sheffield hospital region with that in England and Wales as a whole in 1964 for a selection of the principal specialties.
Average length of stay (days) Specialty Sheffield Hospital region England and Wales General medicine 14.5 17.9 General surgery 9.4 11.0 Traumatic surgery 19.0 18.5 Ear, nose and throat 5.0 5.3 Gynaecology 8.0 8.4 Obstetrics (including general practitioner maternity beds) 8.0 8.6 There is a marked shortage of hospital beds and supporting facilities in many parts of the Sheffield region, and much replacement is needed. Expenditure on hospital building in the region (including its teaching hospital) has been increased to nearly £6 million in the present financial year, and many large schemes are now in progress or about to start. I have the future programme under review.
A number of beds are temporarily closed because of shortage of staff. The hospital authorities are trying to fill these vacancies.