§ Mrs. DunwoodyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will list the occasions on which he has received reports of infringements of the NAHA code of conduct for private hospitals; what actions he has taken since its inception; and what further inspections were held;
(2) what sanctions are available to his Department against private hospitals failing to comply with their statutory duty to provide and maintain adequate medical, surgical and nursing equipment; how often, following inspections by the appropriate district health authority, and an adverse report, he has acted against private hospitals, in the last three-year period; and what action he proposes to take;
(3) if he will give the dates in 1985–86, 1986–87, 1987–88 and 1988–89 when the following private hospitals were inspected (a) the Wellington Humana, (b) the London clinic, (c) the BUPA hospital, Harpenden, Hertfordshire, (d) the Lister hospital, (e) the Cromwell hospital, Cromwell road and (f) the Portland hospital; and whether any of the reports were adverse.
§ Mr. Mellor[holding answer 31 January 1989]: Registration and inspection of private hospitals and nursing homes is wholly delegated to district health authorities who must be satisfied that the statutory requirements are being met. We do not collect centrally details of their inspections. Authorities have power to cancel registration if the statutory requirements are not being observed. No private hospital has been added to the Department's national list of cancelled registrations.