§ Mr. Maudeasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many inpatients and how many outpatients were treated under contractual arrangements between the National Health Service and the private sector in each year from 1978 to the present.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeThe information requested is given in the table.
Patients receiving treatment under contractual arrangements with institutions outside the NHS in England Year Inpatient discharges and deaths New outpatients treated 1978 23,307 50,769 1979 24,579 42,900 1980 23,731 *15,857 1981 24,063 15,187 1982 24,808 17,896 * The reduction in numbers of new outpatients treated in 1980 was largely due to the cessation of contractual arrangements with the Providence hospital in Mersey region.
§ Mr. Maudeasked the Secretary of State for the Social Services (1) how many elderly patients were treated under contractual arrangements between the National Health Service and the private sector in each year from 1978 to the present;
(2) how many additional beds for the elderly could have been made available within the National Health Service if private sector beds currently available to the National Health Service were no longer available.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeInformation by age-group is not available centrally on patients receiving treatment under contractual arrangements. The available information on patients treated in the specialty of geriatric medicine is given in the table. The number of beds occupied by such patients at 31 December 1982 was 871. I have no means of knowing whether any additional beds could have been provided within the National Health Service had these private sector beds not been available. All these contracts were entered into in the interests of the NHS as the most cost-effective means of providing the required patient service.
Patients receiving treatment under contractual arrangements with institutions outside the NHS in England Year In-patient discharges and deaths New out-patients treated 1978 1,409 468 1979 1,317 400 1980 1,235 415 1981 1,357 369 1982 1,253 427
§ Mr. Maudeasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what instances there have been of private hospital companies attempting to take over National Health Service pay beds; and whether he will make a statement
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeDiscussions between private sector companies and health authorities about the 1093W possibility of the companies running private patient facilities for the NHS do not have to be reported to our Department. We would be quite happy for such arrangements to be made if this were in the interests of the National Health Service, and I am inquiring into some cases where unexpected difficulties have arisen.