HC Deb 06 August 1980 vol 990 cc207-8W
Mr. Park

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the average weekly cost of looking after an elderly person in a geriatric ward of a hospital.

Sir George Young

Costs in National Health Service hospitals are calculated according to the type of hospital, and it is not possible to identify the cost of treating patients suffering from specified diseases or conditions in hospitals in which the specialties are mixed. However, in hospitals in which the beds were provided exclusively or predominantly for geriatric patients, the average cost per patient week in England in 1978–79, the latest year for which figures are available, was approximately £124.

Mr. Park

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the average weekly cost of looking after an elderly person who is in the care of a local authority.

Sir George Young

The average weekly cost of looking after a person in a local authority residential home for the elderly in 1978–79 in England and Wales was £50.069. This figure, taken from the Personal Social Services Statistics 1978–79 Actuals, published by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy—a copy of which is in the Library of the House—excludes capital costs and certain administrative costs which cannot be separately identified and is gross of income from charges.

Miss Wright

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Handsworth, on 24 June, if he will ensure that local authorities are encouraged financially to provide sufficient accommodation and community services to enable elderly persons occupying hospital beds because of the lack of such services to leave hospital, thus freeing beds for the sick as well as saving money for the National Health Service and the community generally.

Sir George Young

My right hon. Friend is already doing so through joint financing and has decided that the resources allocated for this purpose will continue to increase gradually over the next few years. It is for authorities themselves to decide the level of provision and the balance between services in the light of local circumstances.