§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps are being taken to address bed blocking in the Hampshire Health Authority; how many cases there have been in 2002; how many were from rural areas of Hampshire; and if he will make a statement. [57346]
§ Jacqui SmithHealth and local authorities are working together to take action to improve the situation. In October 2001, additional funding of £300 million was announced to tackle this problem. In 2002–02, Hampshire received an additional £2.436 million from this money. The allocation for 2002–03 is £5.160 million.
All information, collected centrally, on delayed discharge in December 2001, quarter 3 of 2002–02, has been placed in the Library. This is the most recent period for which figures are currently available.