§ Mr. Roderickasked the Secretary of State for Wales what is the radius of the average catchment area of a district general hospital; and what is the greatest distance a person has to travel to reach his nearest district general hospital in Wales.
§ Mr. Peter ThomasDistrict general hospitals are designed to serve a specific population, thus the radius of an average catchment area would not be meaningful. The greatest distance to travel to the nearest district general hospital is 44 miles.
§ Mr. Roderickasked the Secretary of State for Wales what proposals he has to ease the burden of travel for patients and friends who live outside the optimum desirable distance from a district general hospital in Wales.
§ Mr. Peter ThomasThere are existing arrangements for providing transport for, or financial help with the travelling expenses of, hospital patients and their visitors where the need for such help is established. I see no need to seek to extend these arrangements at present.