HC Deb 26 November 1984 vol 68 cc385-6W
Mr. Alton

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many cases of hypothermia are reported each year in the United Kingdom; what is the urban and coral breakdown of these cases; and what is the estimated cost of treating these cases each year in the United Kingdom.

Mr. John Patten

The estimated number of discharges and deaths from NHS hospitals of patients with the main diagnosis of hypothermia in the United Kingdom in 1982 was 2,570. It is not possible from the information held centrally to provide a breakdown of these cases between urban and rural areas. The cost of treating these patients is estimated to have been about £5 million at current prices.