§ Ms. PrimaroloTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the total number of beds available in each Thames regional health authority in each of the last 10 years.
§ Dr. MawhinneyMore important than the number of beds is the number of patients treated each year; this has increased by over a third since 1979. The information available is given in the tables.
§ Mr. SackvilleThe figures for psychiatric social workers are not centrally collected. The other information requested is in the table.
Whole-time Equivalent for Community Psychiatric Nurses, Health Visitors, District Nurses and Practice Nurses in England 1987 to 1991 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 Community Psychiatric Nurses 2,770 3,080 3,380 3,600 3,760 Health Visitors 10,730 10,680 10,050 10,480 10,380 District Nurses 9,500 9,390 10,160 10,380 9,900 Practice Nurses 2,770 3,480 4,630 7,700 8,780 Source: Non Medical Manpower Census, form ANC4.
Note: All figures are rounded to the nearest 10.