§ Miss LestorTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children's in-patient units were operating in 1985 and in each year since 1990.
§ Mr. BowisThe information available is shown in the table.
Number of units Number of beds 1990–91 427 14,458 1991–92 1306 14,436 1992–93 295 14,152 1 Before 1991–92 information was collected by hospital site. Thereafter, as a result of National Health Service re-organisation, some individual hospital sites were aggregated under larger hospital and community units. The overall number of beds is therefore shown for comparative purposes. Figures for 1985 are not comparable as they were then collected by consultant speciality—not by numbers of designated children's beds and units.