HC Deb 22 January 1988 vol 125 cc877-8W
Rev. Martin Smyth

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if the Department of Health and Social Services for Northern Ireland will encourage health boards to conduct audits of beds available at 12 noon on each day; what information he has as to the likely information to be gained from this, and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Needham

Under the current arrangements information on daily bed availability is already collected in each hospital, summaries of which are provided by boards to the Department of Health and Social Services. This count of bed availability is measured at midnight each day.

Information derived from this source provides indicators for measurement of performance and enables the continuous monitoring of levels of service provided.