asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is his estimate of the financial cost and the cost in nursing time and bed-occupancy of bed sores in the National Health Service; and if he will make a statement.
The many factors contributing to the incidence of pressure sores are such that the wide variety of information necessary to enable valid estimates to be made is not available. There can be no doubt, however, that the costs of pressure sores in terms of expenditure, nurses' time and above all the human suffering, are high. A good deal of research has been undertaken which suggests that, in many cases, pressure sores can be prevented if appropriate precautions are taken. For this reason my hon. Friend was very pleased to be able to
| NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE (ALL EMPLOYEES) | ||||||||
| STANDARD RATES | ||||||||
| 501–1,000 cc | 1,001–1,750 cc | Over 1,750 cc | ||||||
| Per mile | … | … | … | … | … | 14·1p | 16·3p | 18·5p |
| REGULAR USER RATES | ||||||||
| 501–1,000 cc | 1,001–1,500 cc | Over 1,500 cc | ||||||
| Lump sums per annum | … | … | … | £198 | £234 | £279 | ||
| Per mile in addition (first 9,000 miles) | … | 9·7p | 10·5p | 12·3p | ||||
| Per mile thereafter | … | … | … | … | 6·2p | 6·8p | 9·6p | |
| PUBLIC TRANSPORT RATE | ||||||||
| Per mile | … | … | … | … | … | 7·5p | ||
| CIVIL SERVICE | ||||||||
| STANDARD RATES | ||||||||
| 1,000 cc or less | 1,001–1,750 cc | Over 1,750 cc | ||||||
| Per mile | … | … | … | … | … | 14·1p | 16·4p | 18·7p |
| PUBLIC TRANSPORT RATE | ||||||||
| Per mile | … | … | … | … | … | 7·6p | ||
| Note: The Civil Service has no Regular User rate. | ||||||||