§ Mr. Woodcockasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the total number of National Health Service casualty units operating in England and Wales in each of the past 20 years.
§ Mr. John Patten[pursuant to his reply, 6 July 1984, c. 340]: The number of NHS hospitals in England and Wales which recorded patient activity in accident and emergency departments is as follows. Information prior to 1966 is not available centrally. Information for 1967 to 1970 could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Number of hospitals Year Number 1966 875 1971 835 1972 810 1973 802 1974 799 1975 780 1976 767 1977 762 1978 747 1979 735 1980 726 1981 709 1982 694 Between 1966 and 1982, the number of new attendances at accident and emergency departments increased by 43 per cent. from 7.1 million to 10.2 million.