§ Mr. Ron Daviesasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he is satisfied with the progress being made in the provision of hospital beds and reductions in the hospital waiting lists in the National Health Service in England and Wales; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. NewtonInformation on Wales is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.
It is the number of cases treated not the number of hospital beds which matters and 983,500 more in-patient cases were treated in 1985 than in 1978. Hospital waiting lists in England are now 79,000 lower than in March 1979. Nevertheless excessive waiting remains a problem in some 313W areas and for some specialties. All regional health authorities are therefore implementing extensive plans for further progress. Over 100,000 additional patients from inpatient waiting lists will be treated in the coming year from the first year's allocations of the £50 million waiting list fund. Health Service provision is kept under constant scrutiny through the National Health Service planning and review process.