§ Mr. Teddy Taylorasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many beds were available for medical treatment in National Health Service hospitals at the most recent date for which figures are available; how many of the total were pay beds which could be used by private patients; and if he will provide comparable information for each of the previous 10 years.
§ Mr. Geoffrey FinsbergThe total number of beds available in NHS hospitals on 31 December 1980, the latest date for which figures are available, was 355,979, of which 2,402 were available for the treatment of private patients. The comparable figures for previous years are as follows:
NHS Beds Private Beds 1970 423,621 4,353 1971 419,612 4,456 1972 412,664 4,496 1973 403,526 4,569 1974 396,235 4,535 1975 387,632 4,150 1976 383,132 4,150 1977 375,926 3,213 1978 369,235 2,666 1979 361,670 2,402