§ Mr. BurnsTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many operations were cancelled at Broomfield hospital, Chelmsford in the last available quarter; and what percentage of the cancelled operations were consequently carried out within four weeks. [127461]
§ Dr. LadymanThe information requested is not collected for individual hospital sites. Broomfield hospital is part of Mid-Essex Hospital Services National Health Service Trust. The number of last minute cancellations for non-medical reasons at Mid-Essex Hospital Services NHS Trust in the period January to March 2003 was 174. Information is not collected on the proportion of these cancellations that were consequently carried out within four weeks.
§ Mr. BurnsTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many mixed sex wards and wards have been artificially divided into single-sex bays at Broomfield hospital, Chelmsford. [127464]
§ Dr. LadymanThe information is not available in the format requested. Ward level data are not collected.
The Department of Health has set three objectives to support the elimination of mixed sex accommodation with a deadline of December 2002, designed to deliver separate sleeping areas, separate toilet and washing facilities and safe facilities for the mentally ill. That deadline has now been reached and today over 98 per cent. of wards across the national health service meet these standards. Given that there are some 10,000 wards in use, this is a significant achievement. A number of new hospitals and health care facilities are currently in construction, which will ultimately bring all wards to the required standards.