HC Deb 13 December 1988 vol 143 cc541-2W
17. Mr. Knox

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients were treated in National Health Service hospitals in the most recent year for which figures are available; and what were the comparable figures for 1978–79.

Mr. Mellor

There were 6.62 million in-patient cases treated in National Health Service hospitals in England during the 1987–88 financial year. Earlier figures were for calendar years and in 1979 5.40 million in-patient cases were treated, a rise of over a million or more than 22 per cent.