§ Mr. John Hallasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what cost research has been carried out to establish whether or not the provision of large general hospitals results in economies of scale.
§ Sir K. JosephA number of studies have been done including particularly "Economic Analysis for Health Service Efficiency" by M. S. Feldstein (1967) who was supported in this work by the Department. The results are not conclusive and I have initiated further studies to assist me in obtaining the best value from our resources, including a feasibility study in operational research which will be especially concerned with the correct balance between hospital and community services.