asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the average daily number of National Health Service beds occupied in the United Kingdom for each of the years 1960,1970,1980,1981 and at the latest available date; and if he will show, in each case, the ratio of staff to each occupied staff bed.
The following table shows the average daily number of NHS beds occupied in the United Kingdom for 1960, 1970, 1980 and 1981, the latest year for which figures are available, together with figures for total NHS employed staff, and the ratios of staff per occupied bed. No adjustments have been made for changes in the structure and responsibilities of the NHS, nor for changes in standard working hours, although both of these will have affected the comparability of the ratios.
| NHS Occupied Beds and Ratio of Staff to Beds | ||||
| 1960 | 1970 | 1980 | 1981 | |
| Average daily number of occupied beds (thousands) | 478 | 441 | 370 | 360 |
| NHS directly employed staff (thousands) | 565 | 741 | 999 | 1,035 |
| Ratio of staff per occupied bed | 1·18 | 1·68 | 2·70 | 2·87 |
Notes:
All figures are rounded.
Staff figures include locum medical/dental staff and agency nursing/midwifery staff.
Staff figures for 1980 and 1981 include staff in Primary Health Care.
Staffing figures are a mixture of numbers and WTEs.