§ 12. Liz BlackmanTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on his plans for increasing the number of beds in the NHS. [151960]
§ Ms StuartPlanning guidance, issued on 15 February, requires health authorities, in partnership with councils, to consider the action required to achieve the NHS Plan objectives that there should be an extra 2,100 general and acute beds and 5,000 extra intermediate care beds by 2004. Copies of the guidance are available in the Library.
No NHS region is to plan for a reduction in bed numbers.