§ Mr. Barry Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list the number of beds available to each of the health regions for (a) special kidney dialysis units and (b) cardiac surgery centres.
§ Mr. John PattenWe do not now collect figures for beds allocated to chronic dialysis, as the number of patients receiving treatment is considered a more significant measure. The latest figures were given in my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Castle Point (Sir B. Braine) on 30 November.—[Vol. 49, c.535.] Beds allocated to cardiac surgery are not separately identified in all regions from those for other thoracic surgery. The provisional 1982 figures for each of these categories are shown in the following table:
Average Daily Number of Available Beds during 1982* Region Thoracic surgery Cardiac surgery Northern 93 — Yorkshire 139 52 Trent 135 12 East Anglian 48 21 North West Thames 184 — North East Thames 97 — South East Thames 159 — South West Thames 31 43 Wessex 39 29 Oxford 10 — South Western 132 — West Midlands 164 — Mersey 75 22 North Western 161 — Boards of Governors and Special Health Authorities 119 34 * Provisional.