§ Mrs. Dunwoodyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services for each regional health authority, how many hospitals are currently awaiting opening; and how many wards and beds there are in these hospitals.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeThe information requested is not routinely collected by our Department. The latest information on hospital facilities awaiting opening was collected by special inquiry in March 1982. This revealed that there were no whole new hospitals in England unopened although a number of beds remained to be opened as follows:
Number of beds Trent University Hospital, Nottingham 694 beds in 21 wards North-East Thames Chase Farm Hospital, Enfield 84 beds in 3 wards Oxford Kettering Hospital 34 beds in 2 wards Witney Hospital 42 beds in 1 ward South-Western Derriford District General Hospital, Plymouth 30 beds in 2 wards West Midlands Walsgrave General Hospital, Coventry 38 beds in 2 wards These beds are being brought into use as the necessary policies to enable them to be opened within planned resources are developed. I am not aware of any more recent cases although our recent letter to health authorities asking to be reassured about the planning for the revenue consequences of new capital developments before contracts were placed was designed to reduce the risk of such cases in future.