§ Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the cost of a normal hospital confinement by each region.
§ Sir George YoungI regret that information is not available in the form requested. However in specialist maternity hospitals the average cost per case in 1977–78 at 1977–78 outturn prices in each Region in England was as follows:
Regional health authority Average cost per case £ Northern 239.90 Yorkshire 239.04 Trent 222.94 East Anglia 237.28 North-West Thames 328.73 North-East Thames 310.23 South-East Thames 328.98 South-West Thames 260.20 Wessex 197.83 Oxford 236.76 Southwestern 265.35 West Midland 244.00 Mersey 257.06 North-Western 223.14 England 253.31 The costs per case are not separately identified between general practitioner and consultant maternity units.