HC Deb 19 April 2004 vol 420 cc176-7W
Mr. Boris Johnson

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the bed occupancy rate is in the community hospitals of(a) Townlands, (b) Wallingford, (c) Abingdon, (d) Wantage, (e) Watlington and (f) Didcot. [164102]

Ms Rosie Winterton

Bed data are not centrally collected by hospital site. Data are collected annually on a provider basis from National Health Service trusts. The two trusts involved are the South East Oxfordshire Primary Care Trust (PCT) and the South West Oxfordshire PCT. The average daily number of available, and occupied beds in wards open overnight for the two trust invoked, are shown in the table. The bed occupancy rate is also included in the table.

Information for each NHS trust is published annually on the Department's website at: http://www.performance.doh.gov.uk/hospitalactivity/.

authorities (SHAs), have responsibility for planning and developing services according to the needs of local people and they have the local knowledge to assess the health care needs of their residents and to identify strategies and plans to meet those needs.

I understand that the South East and South West Oxfordshire PCTs are carrying out a consultation "South Locality Plan", which they hope will shape a long-term strategy for improving care and services delivered by the local health economy. The hon. Member may therefore wish to approach the Thames Valley SHA on this matter.

Mr. Boris Johnson

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the circumstances leading to the closure of the community hospital in Burford. [164106]

Ms Rosie Winterton

I understand that Burford Hospital was closed in 2000. The decision to close the hospital was made following a full public consultation on Oxfordshire community services in 1998. All patients who were receiving their care at Burford were relocated to other community hospitals following its closure.