HC Deb 16 January 1984 vol 52 cc106-8W
1875. Dr. Owen

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what percentage of hospitals in England was built before (a) 1918 and (b)

Mr. John Patten

The most recent information available is drawn from a survey of hospital buildings undertaken in 1972. This showed that about 50 per cent. of hospitals in England were constructed before 1918 and about 7 per cent. before 1850. A separate pre-1875 figure is not available. Much modernisation and upgrading of such stock has of course taken place over time.

Dr. Owen

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services since 1979 how many new hospitals have been started; of these how many were general hospitals; how many other major health building schemes have been undertaken; and what percentage of total health capital expenditure these have formed.

Mr. Kenneth Clarke

Thirty-five major building schemes—those with a building and engineering cost of £5 million or more — have started since 1 April 1979 and of these 33 form part of district general hospital developments. Estimated expenditure on these major schemes in 1982–83 formed 14 per cent. of total health capital expenditure. All major schemes in progress during 1982–83, including some started before 1979, accounted for 30 per cent. of total expenditure.

Dr. Owen

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what are the latest figures for general (non-psychiatric) hospital expenditure per head of population in (a) Greater London, (b) the four Thames regions, excluding Greater London, and (c) the whole of England, excluding the four Thames regions; and how these figures have been adjusted for boundary crossovers of patients, extra teaching costs and specialist hospitals;

(2)) what are the latest figures for psychiatric hospital expenditure per head in (a) Greater London, (b) the four Thames regions, excluding Greater London, and (c) the whole of England, excluding the four Thames regions.

Mr. Kenneth Clarke

Returns from health authorities show current expenditure per head of the population, excluding administration at district, area and regional levels, in 1981–82 was:

Psychiatric Hospitals

£

 All other Hospitals

£
Greater London 26.60 175.85
The four Thames regions, excluding Greater London 29.48 87.61
England, excluding the four Thames regions 21.08 100.59

Notes:

  1. 1. Psychiatric hospitals include only those hospitals classed as mental illness or mental handicap, that is with more than 90 per cent. of their beds so allocated.
  2. 2. No adjustment has been made to the expenditure recorded by individual authorities in respect of boundary crossover of patients, extra teaching costs or specialist hospitals. These are allowed for when each authority's cash allocation is determined, by use of the Resource Allocation Working Party formula.
  3. 3. Equivalent figures for 1982–83 are not yet available.

Dr. Owen

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what are the latest figures for the number of general hospital beds per 1,000 population in (a) Greater London, (b) the four Thames regions, excluding Greater London and (c) the whole of England, excluding the four Thames regions.

Mr. John Patten

Information is not available centrally in the exact form requested. The latest available information is given in the table:

Number of available beds in acute, mainly acute and partly acute hospitals per 1,000 population in 1981
Greater London 4.7
The four Thames regional health authorities excluding Greater London 3.0
England excluding the four Thames regional health authorities 3.4