§ Mr. Michael McGuireasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what number of beds is available for geriatric and psycho-geriatric patients in the Wigan Metropolitan area; and how this figure, expressed as a percentage, compares with the regional and the national average.
§ Dr. Owen414 geriatric beds were available in Wigan Area on 30th June 1975, representing approximately 10.9 beds per 1,000 population aged 65 and over. The comparable ratios for North Western Region and England are, respectively, 8.8 and 8.7.
There are 87 beds in Wigan specifically available for elderly patients suffering 107W from severe mental infirmity. These are in addition to the 414 geriatric beds. In England generally, such patients are mainly cared for in psychiatric hospitals and beds for them are not separately enumerated regionally or nationally.