§ Mr. Dobsonasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will give for 1985: (a) the number of authorised pay beds, (b) the average number occupied by private patients, (c) the average occupancy as a percentage, (d) the number of private in-patients and (e) the number of private out-patients for each health and social services board and for Northern Ireland as a whole.
§ Mr. NeedhamInformation is not available in the precise form requested. Details of the number of authorised pay beds, and of the average occupancy and percentage occupancy of these beds by private patients, in general hospitals, by Health and Social Services Board for 1985 are given below. Information on the number of private in-patients and private out-patients treated in hospital is not available and could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.
§ Mr. NeedhamInformation is not available in the precise form requested. Details of the number of pay beds and of the average occupancy and percentage of these beds by private patients, in general hospitals administered by the health and social services boards, for Northern Ireland for each year since 1979 are given below. Information on the number of private in-patients and private out-patients treated in hospital is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
63W
Year Number of Pay Beds in General Hospitals Average Number of Pay Beds occupied by Private Patients in General Hospitals Percentage occupancy 1979 141 29.8 21.1 1980 141 21.1 15.0 1981 141 20.4 14.5 1982 141 n/a n/a 1983 141 26.1 18.5 1984 141 24.5 17.4 1985 141 27.5 19.5 n/a =Data not available due to industrial action.
§ Mr. Dobsonasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list any health and social services boards for which statutory auditors have issued reports of poor control over private patient income since 1979.
§ Mr. NeedhamIn December 1985 the statutory auditor issued reports covering deficiencies in the system of control over private patient income in each of the four health and social services boards.
§ Mr. Dobsonasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will give for 1985–86 and for each health and social services board and for Northern Ireland as a whole: (a) the income from private resident patients and the amount written off as bad debts, (b) the income from private non-resident patients and the amount written off as bad debts and (c) the income from services provided to private medical institutions and the amount written off as bad debts.
§ Mr. NeedhamThe information requested is as follows:
Health and social services board Income £ Amount written off as bad debts £ Private resident patients Northern 143,282 nil Southern 103,229 27 Eastern 890,641 624 Western 120,999 nil Total all boards 1,258,151 651
Health and Social Services Board Total Expenditure in 1985/86 hospital cleaning £ Expenditure in 1985/86 on services provided by private cleaning companies £ Per cent. of Total Difference between 1984/85 percentage and 1985/86 percentage Northern 2,174,860 12,269 0.56 + .01 Southern 2,156,284 29,425 1.17 + .49 Eastern 7,863,971 101,475 1.29 - .09 Western 2,591,060 33,451 1.29 + .19 All boards 15,146,175 176,620 1.17 + .07
§ Mr. Dobsonasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will give for 1985–86 for each health and social services board and for Northern Ireland as a whole the total expenditure on hospital laundry, the total expenditure on services provided to hospitals by private
64W
Health and social services board Income £ Amount written off as bad debts £ Private non-resident patients Northern 9,488 nil Southern 4,979 nil Eastern 58,790 75 Western 7,158 nil Total all boards 80,415 75 Services provided to Private medical institutions Northern nil nil Southern 10,907 nil Eastern 17,552 nil Western nil nil Total all boards 28,459 nil