§ Lord Wigoderasked Her Majesty's Government:
Which National Health Service authorities have at any time since the passing of the National Health Service Act 1980 made request to the appropriate Secretary of State for leave to embark upon a trial scheme of authorisation of pay beds by a system of a maximum number of bed days per annum rather than a system of a ceiling on the number of pay beds which may be used at any one time—as envisaged in paragraph 20 of the Health Circular issued by the DHSS dated 6th August 1980; the dates of the requests; whether in each case leave was given; and whether it is possible to report on the success or other wise of any such scheme.
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health and Social Security (Lord Trefgarne)Twenty-nine area health authorities in England and Wales expressed interest in managing private in-patient activity within NHS hospitals on the basis of an authorised number of bed-days per annum. The authorities and the dates of their approaches are given below. The majority did not provide proposals in detail. The five authorities marked with an asterisk 1029WA were invited to participate in trial schemes which are currently in progress. It will not be possible to draw conclusions before at least next summer, following completion of the trials.
1030WA
Health Authority Date of request Tameside* 26 February 1981 Bradford 26 February 1981 Avon 4 March 1981 Bedfordshire 10 March 1981 Hertfordshire April 1981 Sandwell 11 May 1981 Stockport 13 May 1981 Devon 15 May 1981 Hampshire* 18 May 1981 Cheshire 21 May 1981 Trafford 27 May 1981 Bromley 4 June 1981 Ealing, Hammersmith and Hounslow 9 June 1981 Cornwall and Isles of Scilly 23 June 1981
Health Authority Date of request Surrey 7 July 1981 Warwickshire 9 July 1981 Kent 28 July 1981 Lincolnshire 3 August 1981 Gwynedd* 4 August 1981 Kirklees 7 August 1981 Hereford and Worcester 11 September 1981 Coventry* 21 September 1981 Rochdale 24 September 1981 Clwyd* 19 October 1981 Dyfed 19 October 1981 North Yorkshire 17 November 1981 Dorset 25 November 1981 Barnsley 8 January 1982 Greenwich and Bexley 27 January 1982 House adjourned at twenty-eight minutes before eleven o'clock.