HC Deb 15 December 2003 vol 415 cc760-1W
Dr. Murrison:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many beds in community hospitals there were in each year since 1990. [141041]

Mr. Hutton:

The Department does not hold this information. However, the Community Hospitals Association carried out a survey, which was reported in the British Journal of General Practice (February 2001). This identified 471 community hospitals in the United Kingdom, containing 18,579 beds, and concluded there had not been a substantial reduction over the past 25 years.