§ Mr. David Steelasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many National Health Service hospitals are vested in her care in England and Wales; how many of these consist wholly or mainly of open wards containing over 30 beds; and how many consist of mainly wooden huts.
§ Dr. OwenResponsibility for the health services in Wales rest with my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Wales, but in England the number of NHS hospitals in September 1975 was 2,195. Information on the number of hospitals consisting wholly of open wards containing over 30 beds or of mainly wooden huts is not centrally available.
§ Mr. David Steelasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many district general hospitals are vested in her care in England and Wales; and how many of these lack rooms suitable for intensive care procedures.
§ Dr. OwenResponsibility for health services in Wales rests with my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Wales. In England there is no formal definition of a district general hospital. The term has been used to describe new hospitals providing a comprehensive range of services; but it has also been applied to groupings of existing hospitals administered as a single unit. Hospitals providing a range of services are classified as acute, mainly acute and partly acute; of which there are 612, 134 and 60 respectively in England. Of these, about 64 regarded as district general hospitals have been provided in recent years by new building or substantial upgrading of existing hospitals.
Intensive therapy is frequently provided in special units but where there is sufficient space it may be carried out in side wards or acute wards. I am not aware of any hospitals providing full district general services which do not have access to appropriate facilities for intensive care or therapy.