§ Mr. Harry GreenwayTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospital beds there were in(a) the Greater London area and (b) the rest of the country in May 1979, or the latest date for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mrs. CurrieThe information requested is given in the table.
Average daily available beds, National Health Service hospitals 1979 1986 Percentage change Greater London 64,376 52,708 -18 The rest of England 297,294 263,006 -12 Reductions in bed numbers do not necessarily mean loss in services. Better use of beds, changing clinical practices and the ability to treat more cases as day cases without patients having to stay in hospital overnight mean that many more cases are being treated in the facilities available.