§ Dr. FoxTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the cottage hospitals which have been(a) opened and (b) closed since 1997. [47019]
§ Ms BlearsInformation on hospital closures ceased to be collected in 1991 following the introduction of the national health service internal market and trusts.
Community and cottage hospitals play an important role in providing care closer to home, for example in carrying out day surgery, minor procedures and caring for patients in the recuperative phases of recovery from illness or accident. These hospitals will help us meet our target of introducing an additional 5,000 intermediate care beds by 2004, of which more than 2,400 are already in place.
§ Dr. FoxTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many beds in cottage hospitals there were in each of the past five years. [47029]
§ Ms BlearsThe information is not collected centrally.
Data on bed numbers are collected annually at national health service trust level, rather than by individual hospital site. Information on bed availability and occupancy is available on the Department's website www.doh.gov.uk/hospitalactivity.