§ Mr. WigginTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospital beds there are in the national health service; and what plans he has to change the number. [184044]
§ Mr. HuttonIn 2002–03 the average daily number of available national health service beds in England was 183,826. This includes acute, geriatric, mental illness, learning disability and maternity beds.
The "NHS Improvement Plan" contains no targets for the total number of NHS beds. However, there is a major hospital building programme under way to deliver on commitments in the "NHS Plan" to improve NHS hospitals. The NHS is on course to exceed the two "NHS Plan" commitments of 100 new hospitals by 2010 and to reduce the age of hospitals such that over 40 per cent. of the NHS estate will be less than 15 years old by 2010.