§ Mr. Wallerasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the total number of beds currently available for short-stay National Health Service patients in convalescent hospitals.
§ Mr. NewtonI am sorry I cannot give my hon. Friend the information he seeks in precisely the form requested. The available information is given in the table.
Convalescent beds, 1985 England Average daily number of available beds Average daily number of occupied beds National Health Service hospitals 205.5 139.7 Institutions providing treatment under contractual arrangements 1— 255.4 1 Contractual arrangements are made as and when required.