§ Mr. Harry GreenwayTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospital beds there are in the Greater London area per member of the population; what are the comparable figures under the suggestions made in the Tomlinson report; and if she will make a statement.
§ Dr. MawhinneyThe average daily number of hospital beds in all specialties in Greater London per thousand of the population in the financial year 1992–93 is 4.9. The Tomlinson report looked only at acute hospital beds and focused on inner London. Professor Tomlinson gave three main reasons why the need for hospital beds in inner London would fall: (i) patients from outside London would be less likely to come into London for hospital treatment; (ii) changes in medical care will lead to more day surgery; and (iii) shorter hospital stays will contribute to increased efficiency in bed usage.