§ Mr. WattsTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the average cost of treating a patient in hospital in the most recent year for which figures are available; and what information he has as to the range of such costs in district health authorities.
§ Mrs. CurrieThe average cost of treating a patient in a major acute hospital in 1985–86 was £724. At the level of district health authorities, average costs ranged from £467 (35 per cent. below the national average) to £1,231 (70 per cent. above the national average). A large part of this variation may be attributed to different types of cases and different lengths of stay. If allowance is made for these factors by estimating what district costs would have been if their case mix and lengths of stay were equal to the national averages, districts' actual costs vary from 21 per cent. under to 23 per cent. over such estimated costs. To illustrate the variations that can arise a special study in one health authority has shown that the cost of a bronchoscopy is £125 plus £227 per day, while the cost of implanting a cardiac defibrillator is £10,500 plus £227 per day.