§ Mr. D. E. Thomasasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what is the average length of stay of patients aged 65 years and over occupying GP medical beds in hospitals in Great Britain;
(2) what proportion of patients aged 65 years and over occupying GP medical beds in hospitals in Great Britain do so for a duration of more than six months;
(3) what proportion of patients occupying GP medical beds in Great Britain are aged 65 years and over.
§ Dr. OwenIn 1972 there were on average 6,551 beds occupied per day in GP medical departments in England and Wales and on average 72 per cent. of these were occupied by patients over 65 years of age. 59,300 patients aged 65 and over were discharged from GP medical units in 1972—the average duration of stay was 29 days but 1.7 per cent. of patients discharged stayed for six months or longer.
64WThe information is based on a 10 per cent. sample of all deaths and discharges of in-patients from NHS non-psychiatric hospitals and units in England and Wales. 1972 is the latest year for which information is available.
§ Mr. D. E. Thomasasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what proportion of chronic-sick hospital beds are occupied by patients aged 65 years and over in England and Great Britain. respectively.
§ Dr. OwenAll chronic-sick hospital beds have been redefined as geriatric beds or beds for the younger disabled. It has been estimated that 91.8 per cent. of such beds in England and Wales are occupied by patients aged 65 and over. For geriatric beds the proportion is 92.4 per cent. These estimates, which are based on a 10 per cent. sample, include patients receiving acute geriatric treatment and rehabilitation. Separate estimates for England only and for Great Britain are not available.