HC Deb 05 April 1990 vol 170 cc753-5W
Mr. Robin Cook

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the cost of catering per patient per day in each regional health authority in each year since 1979 expressed in cash and constant prices.

Hospital costs—Average total cost of meals per patient day £ (cash)
1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88
Northern 1.84 2.11 2.34 2.52 2.55 2.66 2.74 2.84 3.40
Yorkshire 1.89 2.21 2.42 2.62 2.60 2.69 2.77 2.96 3.58
Trent 2.05 2.33 2.45 2.66 2.71 2.78 2.81 2.98 3.54
East Anglia 2.56 2.39 2.58 2.73 2.78 2.89 2.94 3.07 3.71
North West Thames 1.96 2.27 2.44 2.45 2.58 2.69 2.83 3.02 3.46
North East Thames 1.85 2.11 2.28 2.45 2.54 2.60 2.70 2.89 3.43
South East Thames 2.06 2.33 2.42 2.51 2.55 2.68 2.91 3.11 3.56
South West Thames 1.91 2.19 2.22 2.33 2.39 2.55 2.66 2.90 3.51
Wessex 2.00 2.27 2.48 2.63 2.60 2.81 2.90 3.02 3.50
Oxford 1.95 2.24 2.44 2.55 2.63 2.70 2.76 3.04 3.46
South Western 1.94 2.18 2.37 2.52 2.58 2.72 2.74 2.86 3.29
West Midlands 1.97 2.29 2.44 2.58 2.61 2.70 2.75 2.86 3.69
Mersey 1.81 2.09 2.24 2.39 2.38 2.49 2.56 2.63 3.07
North Western 1.96 2.32 2.53 2.68 2.64 2.76 2.79 2.94 3.12

Mr. Freeman

[holding answer 1 March 1990]: The information requested for the financial years 1979–80 to 1986–87 is shown in the table together with the available information for 1987–88.

As a result of the implementation of the recommendations of the steering group on national health services information (the Korner committee), the costing information submitted by authorities from 1987–88 is not comparable to that for previous years. The returns for 1987–88 (the latest from which information is currently available)—focus on district-based treatment costs by specialty-specialty groups within all hospitals as opposed to the less satisfactory earlier basis which sought to produce overall average costs per patient by types of hospital determined only by the main bed usage.

Mr. Freeman

[holding answer 1 March 1990]: The information requested for the financial years 1979–80 to 1987–88 is shown in the table. The figures include the costs of provisions, labour and energy.

1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88
SHAs 2.81 3.12 2.40 3.49 3.56 3.72 3.93 4.33 3.41
England 1.97 2.24 2.41 2.55 2.59 2.70 2.78 2.94 3.45

Hospital costs—Average total cost of meals per patient day £ (at 1989–90 prices)
1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88
Northern 3.69 3.57 3.61 3.63 3.51 3.48 3.41 3.41 3.88
Yorkshire 3.79 3.74 3.73 3.77 3.57 3.52 3.44 3.56 4.08
Trent 4.11 3.95 3.78 3.83 3.73 3.64 3.49 3.58 4.04
East Anglia 5.13 4.05 3.98 3.93 3.82 3.78 3.65 3.69 4.23
North West Thames 3.93 3.84 3.76 3.52 3.55 3.52 3.52 3.63 3.95
North East Thames 3.71 3.57 3.52 3.52 3.49 3.40 3.36 3.47 3.91
South East Thames 4.13 3.95 3.73 3.61 3.51 3.51 3.62 3.74 4.06
South West Thames 3.83 3.71 3.42 3.35 3.29 3.34 3.31 3.49 4.00
Wessex 4.01 3.84 3.83 3.78 3.57 3.68 3.60 3.63 3.99
Oxford 3.91 3.79 3.76 3.67 3.62 3.54 3.43 3.65 3.95
South Western 3.89 3.69 3.66 3.63 3.55 3.56 3.41 3.44 3.75
West Midlands 3.95 3.88 3.76 3.71 3.59 3.54 3.42 3.44 4.21
Mersey 3.63 3.54 3.46 3.44 3.27 3.26 3.18 3.16 3.50
North Western 3.93 3.93 3.90 3.86 3.63 3.61 3.47 3.53 3.56
SHAs 5.63 5.28 3.70 5.02 4.89 4.87 4.88 5.20 3.89
England 3.95 3.79 3.72 3.67 3.56 3.54 3.46 3.53 3.94

Source; The annual costing returns (financial returns for 1987–88) of the district health authorities in England and those of the special health authorities for the London postgraduate teaching hospitals. (Predecessor authorities prior to 1982–83).