§ Mr. Welshasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what medical facilities and specialist services are envisaged for nucleus hospitals such as that planned for Newham; and, in particular, whether nucleus hospitals will contain specialist acute surgery facilities.
§ Dr. OwenThe nucleus hospital, which will be offered to regional health authorities in England as a standard design, is the first phase—comprising 200–300 beds—of a district general hospital which can be later extended to 600–900 beds. The choice of medical and surgical facilities for the first and later phases will be for local consideration within the range of all those departments generally found in any district general hospital. The standard designs will not include designs for highly specialised facilities, e.g., neurosurgery, normally provided only in certain district general hospitals to serve a wider area.