§ Mr. SpearingTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the basis for the current national health service cost inflation; and into which categories of patient care it is applied by district health service by his(a) Department and (b) district health services. [879]
§ Mr. MaloneEstimates of national health service cost inflation are not calculated. A retrospective measure of current inflation in the hospital and community health services—HCHS—sector of the national health service is calculated annually. The inflation measure is calculated as a weighted average of HCHS staff pay inflation and inflation in the purchase of goods and services within HCHS current expenditure.
The inflation estimate is calculated only at the national level, and is not disaggregated by category of patient care.