§ Mr. Gwilym JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales what was the average length of time for maternity confinements in Wales in(a) 1961, (b) 1971, (c) 1979 and (d) at the latest available date.
§ Mr. Nicholas BennettInformation on length of maternity confinements is available centrally only for those deliveries which took place in hospital from 1982 onwards. The average length of stay for a patient whose hospital stay included a recorded delivery is given as follows for 1982 and 1989:
Average length of stay of delivery episodes Days 1982 5.2 1989 4.8 Information on the average length of stay of all obstetrics and all GP maternity hospital stays is, however, available for the years requested and is given in the following table. Figures for 1982 are also given for comparison purposes:
597W
Average length of stay 1Obstetrics Days 1GP maternity Days 1961 10.3 9.2 1971 6.2 5.5 1979 5.5 4.7 1982 4.7 4.6 1989.90 3.7 3.7 1 Includes cases in which no delivery occurs.
The information illustrates one of the factors leading to a reduced demand for beds in the modern NHS.