§ Mr. CousinsTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how his Department calculates the cost-weighted activity index; and if he will place the relevant technical papers in the Library.
§ Mr. DorrellThe cost-weighted activity index is a broad aggregate measure of the increase in activity in the hospital and community health services. Since activity increases at different rates in different areas of the HCHS, and it would not be appropriate to add different types of activity together—for example hospital in-patient activity and treatments by chiropodists—the increases in activity in each of these areas are weighted together according to the proportion of total expenditure on them. Thus, because hospital in-patient activity consumes the largest share of expenditure—over 60 per cent.—growth in this area of activity has the highest weight in the index.
A more detailed description of the construction of the index, with information about the specific areas of activity included, and the expenditure weights used, was published in the Department of Health evidence to the Social Services Committee in 1986 and details of certain revisions to the index were given in the Department of Health memorandum to the Health Committee in 1991. Both of these publications are available in the Library.