asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if, for each of the years 1973 to 1984, he will provide such information as is available to his Department centrally as to the numbers of hospital beds in National Health Service hospitals in England in acute specialties, and in geriatrics, mental illness, mental handicap, and maternity (general practitioner and consultant obstetrics), and the total for all specialties, which were (a) closed as a result of the closure of complete hospitals, (b) closed in hospitals which were not completely closed, (c) provided as a result of opening new hospitals, and (d) provided in additions or modifications to existing hospitals.
We are quite unable to answer a question which requests a huge quantity of information broken down into considerable detail over a long period of years. The majority of the information requested is either not available centrally or could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if, for each of the years 1973 to 1984, he will provide such information as is available to his Department centrally, as to the numbers of hospital beds in each National Health Service region in England, also boards of governors hospitals from 1973 to 1981 and special health authorities from 1982 onwards, which were (a) closed as a result of the closure of complete hospitals, (b) closed in hospitals which were not completely closed, (c) provided as a result of opening new hospitals and (d) provided in additions or modifications to existing hospitals.
I see little sensible use for this information which, as I have pointed out to the hon. Member in answering previous questions, provides no worthwhile measure of activity in the National Health Service. However, information we have centrally is as follows.a.
Hospitals approved for complete closure — number of beds involved.
Number of beds
| |
| 1974 | 2,426 |
| 1975 | 1,977 |
| 1976 | 1,801 |
| 1977 | 3,908 |
| 1978 | 4,895 |
| 1979 | 1,987 |
(c) and (d) Number of beds provided in major new schemes
| |||||||||||
Region
| 1974
| 1975
| 1976
| 1977
| 1978
| 1979
| 1980
| 1981
| 1982
| 1983
| 1984
|
| Northern | — | — | — | 1,054 | — | — | — | — | — | 334 | 382 |
| Yorkshire | — | — | 340 | 480 | — | — | — | — | 763 | 826 | 112 |
| Trent | — | — | — | 1,488 | 1,165 | — | 1,003 | — | — | — | — |
| East Anglian | — | — | — | — | — | 481 | — | 248 | — | 535 | — |
| North West Thames | 793 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 368 |
| North East Thames | — | 873 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 293 | — | 286 |
Number of beds
|
iii. 1980–84
Regional Health Authority
| 1980
| 1981
| 1982
| 1983
| 1984
|
| Northern | 22 | 14 | 24 | 225 | 64 |
| Yorkshire | 34 | 282 | — | 500 | 279 |
| Trent | 26 | 428 | 442 | 324 | 547 |
| East Anglian | 50 | 10 | — | 291 | 320 |
| North West Thames | 155 | 62 | — | 377 | 225 |
| North East Thames | 240 | 524 | 156 | 383 | 504 |
| South East Thames | 258 | — | 48 | 240 | — |
| South West Thames | 778 | 57 | — | 252 | 237 |
| Wessex | 46 | 220 | — | 79 | 80 |
| Oxford | — | 30 | — | 144 | 238 |
| South Western | 198 | — | 31 | 390 | 37 |
| West Midlands | 325 | 62 | 44 | 165 | 856 |
| Mersey | 108 | 306 | 42 | 132 | 714 |
| North Western | 260 | 22 | 108 | 194 | 136 |
| Boards of Governors/Special Health Authorities | — | — | — | 42 | — |
Notes:
1. Temporary closures are not included.
2. Dates on which closures are implemented are not recorded centrally.
b. Partial hospital closures — number of beds approved for closure.
i. 1973 Information not available.
ii. 1974–79 Figures for partial closures are not available. Numbers are included within figures at paragraph ii. of part a. of this answer.
iii. 1980–84
Regional Health Authority
| 1980
| 1981
| 1982
| 1983
| 1984
|
| Northern | — | 8 | — | — | 86 |
| Yorkshire | — | 108 | — | 70 | 48 |
| Trent | — | 22 | — | 172 | 122 |
| East Anglian | — | — | 32 | — | — |
| North West Thames | 7 | 187 | 28 | 40 | 256 |
| North East Thames | — | 13 | 80 | 12 | — |
| South East Thames | — | 20 | 39 | 31 | — |
| South West Thames | — | — | — | — | — |
| Wessex | — | 291 | — | — | 8 |
| Oxford | — | 56 | — | — | — |
| South Western | — | — | — | — | 7 |
| West Midlands | — | — | 44 | 262 | 213 |
| Mersey | 10 | — | 39 | 11 | 45 |
| North Western | — | — | — | — | — |
| Boards of Governors/Special Health Authorities | — | — | — | — | — |
Notes:
1. Temporary closures are not included.
2. Dates on which closures are implemented are not recorded centrally.
Region
| 1974
| 1975
| 1976
| 1977
| 1978
| 1979
| 1980
| 1981
| 1982
| 1983
| 1984
|
| South East Thames | — | 222 | 630 | — | 391 | — | — | — | — | 570 | — |
| South West Thames | — | — | 365 | 312 | — | — | — | — | 554 | — | — |
| Wessex | — | — | — | 435 | 482 | 218 | — | 521 | — | — | — |
| Oxford | — | — | — | — | 484 | — | — | — | — | 265 | — |
| South Western | — | 14 | — | — | — | — | 355 | — | — | — | — |
| West Midlands | — | — | — | 224 | — | — | — | — | 297 | 414 | — |
| Mersey | — | — | — | — | — | 820 | — | 1,007 | 160 | 208 | 232 |
| North Western | — | — | — | — | — | — | 700 | — | — | 83 | — |
| Boards of Governors/SHAs | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Notes:
| |||||||||||
* Information is available only for major new schemes, which include both new hospitals and additions to existing ones. | |||||||||||
| † " From 1974–78 major schemes were those costing in excess of £2 million; from 1979–84 those in excess of £5 million. | |||||||||||
| ‡ Information on beds provided in minor schemes is not available centrally. | |||||||||||
| ≑ Information for 1973 is not available centrally. | |||||||||||
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if, for each of the years 1973 to 1984, he will provide such information as is available to his Department centrally, as to the average numbers of beds available daily in each National Health Service region in England, boards of governors' hospitals also, from 1973 to 1981, and special health authorities from 1982 onwards, in acute
| Average daily number of available beds in NHS hospitals in England—Acute* | |||||||||||
| Region† | 1973 | 1974† | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982† | 1983 |
| Northern | 11,310 | 11,345 | 11,156 | 11,100 | 10,847 | 10,676 | 10,509 | 10,638 | 10,389 | 10,243 | 10,281 |
| Yorkshire | 11,351 | 12,785 | 12,578 | 12,264 | 12,164 | 12,032 | 11,855 | 11,794 | 11,729 | 11,640 | 11,593 |
| Trent | 12,950 | 12,110 | 12,118 | 12,270 | 12,222 | 12,298 | 12,197 | 12,028 | 11,940 | 11,783 | 11,728 |
| East Anglian | 4,963 | 4,941 | 4,967 | 5,138 | 5,208 | 5,257 | 5,276 | 5,365 | 5,268 | 5,230 | 5,286 |
| North West Thames | 17,083 | 12,794 | 12,651 | 12,483 | 12,061 | 11,568 | 11,288 | 10,711 | 10,673 | 9,900 | 9,728 |
| North East Thames | 13,042 | 15,412 | 15,161 | 15,016 | 14,480 | 14,036 | 13,501 | 12,996 | 12,903 | 13,851 | 13,465 |
| South East Thames | 13,425 | 13,638 | 13,267 | 13,283 | 13,011 | 12,272 | 12,083 | 11,715 | 11,459 | 11,307 | 11,217 |
| South West Thames | 13,293 | 9,421 | 9,111 | 9,068 | 8,770 | 8,506 | 8,347 | 7,965 | 7,837 | 7,560 | 7,532 |
| Wessex | 5,632 | 7,794 | 7,735 | 7,768 | 7,728 | 7,685 | 7,600 | 7,553 | 7,538 | 7,452 | 7,386 |
| Oxford | 5,828 | 6,402 | 6,327 | 6,335 | 6,204 | 6,073 | 5,976 | 5,827 | 5,825 | 5,851 | 5,791 |
| South Western | 10,559 | 9,252 | 9,304 | 9,156 | 9,052 | 8,993 | 8,872 | 8,893 | 8,949 | 8,922 | 8,849 |
| West Midlands | 15,322 | 15,118 | 14,796 | 14,909 | 14,907 | 14,693 | 14,491 | 14,533 | 14,560 | 14,409 | 14,289 |
| Mersey | 9,517 | 10,048 | 9,761 | 9,572 | 9,320 | 9,087 | 8,722 | 8,460 | 8,276 | 7,890 | 7,586 |
| North Western | 15,487 | 14,312 | 14,050 | 14,028 | 13,965 | 13,834 | 13,467 | 13,443 | 13,300 | 13,181 | 13,068 |
| Special Health Authorities and Boards of Governors | 3,647 | 3,065 | 3,013 | 3,030 | 3,002 | 2,901 | 2,861 | 2,800 | 2,821 | 2,624 | 2,583 |
| Total | 158,712 | 158,437 | 155,995 | 155,420 | 152,941 | 149,914 | 147,044 | 144,721 | 143,467 | 141,842 | 140,381 |
| Average daily number of available beds in NHS hospitals in England—Geriatrics | |||||||||||
| Region† | 1973 | 1974† | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982† | 1983 |
| Northern | 3,556 | 3,932 | 3,891 | 3,887 | 3,825 | 3,837 | 3,733 | 3,727 | 3,675 | 3,809 | 3,885 |
| Yorkshire | 5,124 | 5,613 | 5,553 | 5,420 | 5,466 | 5,404 | 5,307 | 5,259 | 5,205 | 5,089 | 5,041 |
| Trent | 5,469 | 5,068 | 5,115 | 5,101 | 5,092 | 5,172 | 5,055 | 5,053 | 5,153 | 5,204 | 5,229 |
| East Anglian | 2,332 | 2,226 | 2,219 | 2,392 | 2,321 | 2,294 | 2,318 | 2,340 | 2,351 | 2,372 | 2,417 |
| North West Thames | 3,500 | 3,130 | 3,173 | 3,183 | 3,237 | 3,250 | 3,234 | 3,348 | 3,422 | 3,366 | 3,329 |
| North East Thames | 3,912 | 4,301 | 4,384 | 4,518 | 4,484 | 4,452 | 4,444 | 4,416 | 4,429 | 4,555 | 4,574 |
| South East Thames | 4,381 | 4,343 | 4,350 | 4,372 | 4,389 | 4,367 | 4,284 | 4,247 | 4,208 | 4,237 | 4,233 |
| South West Thames | 3,508 | 3,139 | 3,209 | 3,093 | 3,251 | 3,220 | 3,087 | 3,014 | 3,037 | 3,064 | 3,034 |
| Wessex | 2,566 | 3,623 | 3,602 | 3,606 | 3,565 | 3,542 | 3,528 | 3,536 | 3,534 | 3,543 | 3,510 |
| Oxford | 2,407 | 2,223 | 2,180 | 2,158 | 2,175 | 2,132 | 2,085 | 2,070 | 2,055 | 2,027 | 2,006 |
| South Western | 4,757 | 3,847 | 3,868 | 3,851 | 3,860 | 3,858 | 3,745 | 3,696 | 3,739 | 3,771 | 3,848 |
| West Midlands | 6,160 | 5,874 | 5,913 | 6,069 | 6,211 | 6,230 | 6,216 | 6,181 | 6,182 | 6,256 | 6,230 |
| Mersey | 2,500 | 3,020 | 2,995 | 3,114 | 3,149 | 3,263 | 3,211 | 3,101 | 3,073 | 3,136 | 3,171 |
| North Western | 6,021 | 5,074 | 5,106 | 4,985 | 4,905 | 4,963 | 4,890 | 4,957 | 5,017 | 5,135 | 5,193 |
| Special Health Authorities and Boards of Governors | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 80 | 102 |
| Total | 56,184 | 55,413 | 55,558 | 55,749 | 55,930 | 55,986 | 55,139 | 54,947 | 55,082 | 55,646 | 55,801 |
specialties, geriatrics, mental illness, mental handicap and maternity (general practitioner and consultant obstetrics) and the total for all specialties.
The available information is given in the tables. 1984 figures are not yet available. The total number of in-patient cases rose by 17 per cent. from 5,132,000 in 1973 to 6,019,000 in 1983 and the average annual number of in-patient cases treated per available bed increased by 38 per cent. from 12·7 to 17·5.
Average daily number of available beds in NHS hospitals in England—Mental illness‡
| |||||||||||
Region†
| 1973
| 1974†
| 1975
| 1976
| 1977
| 1978
| 1979
| 1980
| 1981
| 1982†
| 1983
|
| Northern | 7,157 | 6,999 | 6,925 | 6,633 | 6,347 | 6,158 | 6,144 | 6,054 | 6,011 | 5,936 | 5,900 |
| Yorkshire | 8,401 | 8,145 | 8,177 | 8,183 | 7,977 | 7,879 | 7,587 | 7,139 | 7,042 | 6,899 | 6,642 |
| Trent | 8,807 | 7,987 | 7,812 | 7,705 | 7,680 | 7,589 | 7,582 | 7,784 | 7,295 | 7,232 | 7,169 |
| East Anglian | 3,636 | 3,494 | 3,375 | 3,339 | 3,266 | 3,199 | 3,092 | 3,010 | 3,056 | 2,959 | 2,987 |
| North West Thames | 9,073 | 10,180 | 9,592 | 9,313 | 8,650 | 8,383 | 8,021 | 7,801 | 7,622 | 7,460 | 7,275 |
| North East Thames | 6,779 | 7,763 | 7,406 | 7,354 | 7,336 | 7,222 | 6,931 | 6,874 | 6,689 | 6,682 | 6,453 |
| South East Thames | 7,363 | 7,534 | 8,388 | 7,909 | 7,638 | 7,313 | 7,115 | 6,934 | 6,861 | 6,634 | 6,473 |
| South West Thames | 16,356 | 10,975 | 9,293 | 8,849 | 8,489 | 7,932 | 7,619 | 7,395 | 7,054 | 6,694 | 6,585 |
| Wessex | 5,340 | 6,040 | 5,117 | 4,881 | 4,751 | 4,473 | 4,344 | 4,222 | 4,148 | 4,102 | 4,036 |
| Oxford | 3,477 | 3,459 | 2,989 | 2,937 | 2,690 | 2,594 | 2,608 | 2,534 | 2,445 | 2,374 | 2,306 |
| South Western | 8,788 | 7,121 | 6,503 | 6,260 | 5,998 | 5,861 | 5,734 | 5,695 | 5,506 | 5,346 | 5,095 |
| West Midlands | 10,493 | 10,209 | 9,561 | 9,222 | 8,908 | 8,915 | 8,753 | 8,499 | 8,236 | 8,112 | 7,823 |
| Mersey | 6,077 | 7,021 | 7,003 | 6,912 | 6,745 | 6,762 | 6,519 | 6,316 | 6,322 | 6,200 | 5,903 |
| North Western | 8,624 | 7,086 | 6,818 | 6,773 | 6,613 | 6,443 | 6,592 | 6,708 | 6,709 | 6,759 | 6,698 |
| Special Health Authorities and Boards of Governors | 408 | 403 | 412 | 418 | 411 | 409 | 402 | 431 | 439 | 442 | 442 |
| Total | 109,650 | 104,416 | 99,371 | 96,688 | 93,499 | 91,129 | 89,045 | 37,396 | 85,436 | 83,831 | 81,786 |
Average daily number of available beds in NHS hospitals in England—Mental handicap
| |||||||||||
Region†
| 1973
| 1974†
| 1975
| 1976
| 1977
| 1978
| 1979
| 1980
| 1981
| 1982†
| 1983
|
| Northern | 3,676 | 3,698 | 3,675 | 3,618 | 3,563 | 3,488 | 3,336 | 3,326 | 3,226 | 3,160 | 3,138 |
| Yorkshire | 3,704 | 3,746 | 3,604 | 3,554 | 3,527 | 3,506 | 3,482 | 3,432 | 3,321 | 3,203 | 3,116 |
| Trent | 4,965 | 4,989 | 4,979 | 5,078 | 5,086 | 5,000 | 4,878 | 4,703 | 4,609 | 4,520 | 4,382 |
| East Anglian | 1,702 | 1,689 | 1,701 | 1,735 | 1,667 | 1,631 | 1,626 | 1,602 | 1,598 | 1,597 | 1,570 |
| North West Thames | 5,357 | 4,590 | 4,446 | 4,338 | 4,209 | 4,140 | 3,962 | 3,904 | 3,884 | 3,835 | 3,742 |
| North East Thames | 3,337 | 3,218 | 3,079 | 2,975 | 2,882 | 2,812 | 2,818 | 2,684 | 2,646 | 2,504 | 2,513 |
| South East Thames | 3,965 | 3,918 | 3,771 | 3,562 | 3,509 | 3,495 | 3,415 | 3,318 | 3,225 | 3,198 | 3,021 |
| South West Thames | 6,499 | 6,605 | 6,574 | 6,547 | 6,428 | 6,247 | 6,095 | 5,947 | 5,811 | 5,706 | 5,596 |
| Wessex | 1,971 | 2,546 | 2,496 | 2,410 | 2,412 | 2,436 | 2,451 | 2,453 | 2,400 | 2,393 | 2,338 |
| Oxford | 2,237 | 2,134 | 2,124 | 2,122 | 2,100 | 2,046 | 2,009 | 1,994 | 1,930 | 1,878 | 1,782 |
| South Western | 5,793 | 5,699 | 5,410 | 5,124 | 5,012 | 4,919 | 4,855 | 4,705 | 4,701 | 4,570 | 4,446 |
| West Midlands | 5,561 | 5,268 | 5,174 | 5,033 | 4,964 | 4,782 | 4,600 | 4,394 | 4,311 | 4,275 | 4,076 |
| Mersey | 1,548 | 2,615 | 2,604 | 2,583 | 2,571 | 2,537 | 2,504 | 2,424 | 2,357 | 2,321 | 2,210 |
| North Western | 5,815 | 4,447 | 4,502 | 4,413 | 4,331 | 4,235 | 4,072 | 3,970 | 3,859 | 3,815 | 3,695 |
| Special Health Authorities and Board of Governors | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 20 | 20 | 17 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| Total | 56,130 | 55,186 | 54,163 | 53,116 | 52,281 | 51,295 | 50,122 | 48,863 | 47,888 | 46,983 | 45,631 |
Average daily number of available beds in NHS hospitals in England—Maternity≑
| |||||||||||
Region†
| 1973
| 1974†
| 1975
| 1976
| 1977
| 1978
| 1979
| 1980
| 1981
| 1982†
| 1983
|
| Northern | 1,538 | 1,561 | 1,512 | 1,489 | 1,408 | 1,322 | 1,321 | 1,285 | 1,872 | 1,280 | 1,276 |
| Yorkshire | 1,588 | 1,785 | 1,745 | 1,692 | 1,608 | 1,544 | 1,536 | 1,531 | 1,522 | 1,514 | 1,489 |
| Trent | 2,161 | 2,069 | 2,046 | 1,973 | 1,907 | 1,861 | 1,798 | 1,747 | 1,744 | 1,764 | 1,735 |
| East Anglian | 782 | 779 | 777 | 781 | 766 | 754 | 749 | 732 | 726 | 718 | 704 |
| North West Thames | 1,991 | 1,627 | 1,558 | 1,455 | 1,364 | 1,355 | 1,335 | 1,287 | 1,277 | 1,208 | 1,181 |
| North East Thames | 1,556 | 1,862 | 1,837 | 1,819 | 1,712 | 1,646 | 1,601 | 1,581 | 1,544 | 1,564 | 1,589 |
| South East Thames | 1,572 | 1,603 | 1,563 | 1,482 | 1,395 | 1,363 | 1,347 | 1,342 | 1,304 | 1,283 | 1,259 |
| South West Thames | 1,580 | 1,270 | 1,276 | 1,193 | 1,116 | 1,054 | 1,033 | 1,034 | 1,013 | 950 | 932 |
| Wessex | 905 | 1,233 | 1,175 | 1,185 | 1,160 | 1,117 | 1,677 | 1,058 | 1,021 | 1,024 | 1,005 |
| Oxford | 965 | 1,008 | 977 | 951 | 905 | 881 | 869 | 879 | 874 | 863 | 813 |
| South Western | 1,519 | 1,277 | 1,276 | 1,215 | 1,162 | 1,132 | 1,116 | 1,122 | 1,113 | 1,117 | 1,087 |
| West Midlands | 2,352 | 2,322 | 2,303 | 2,269 | 2,128 | 2,086 | 2,025 | 2,008 | 1,980 | 2,002 | 1,955 |
| Mersey | 1,115 | 1,228 | 1,206 | 1,179 | 1,132 | 1,056 | 982 | 979 | 949 | 924 | 931 |
| North Western | 2,183 | 1,908 | 1,868 | 1,841 | 1,836 | 1,764 | 1,712 | 1,683 | 1,695 | 1,703 | 1,650 |
| Special Health Authorities and Boards of Governors | 219 | 138 | 138 | 135 | 136 | 140 | 138 | 137 | 139 | 192 | 192 |
| Total | 21,804 | 21,670 | 21,257 | 20,659 | 19,735 | 19,075 | 18,640 | 18,406 | 18,176 | 18,108 | 17,799 |
Average daily number of available beds in NHS hospitals in England—All specialties
| |||||||||||
Region†
| 1973
| 1974†
| 1975
| 1976
| 1977
| 1978
| 1979
| 1980
| 1981
| 1982†
| 1983
|
| Northern | 27,237 | 27,752 | 27,409 | 26,992 | 26,254 | 25,746 | 25,305 | 25,283 | 24,825 | 24,679 | 24,728 |
| Yorkshire | 30,168 | 32,117 | 31,714 | 31,246 | 30,890 | 30,539 | 29,946 | 29,298 | 28,959 | 28,488 | 28,034 |
| Trent | 33,632 | 32,307 | 32,175 | 32,292 | 32,187 | 32,122 | 31,712 | 31,516 | 30,944 | 30,744 | 30,481 |
| East Anglian | 13,415 | 13,142 | 13,052 | 13,398 | 13,241 | 13,156 | 13,094 | 13,088 | 13,038 | 12,914 | 13,001 |
| North West Thames | 37,004 | 32,377 | 31,474 | 30,826 | 29,575 | 28,752 | 27,904 | 27,116 | 26,947 | 25,852 | 25,342 |
| North East Thames | 28,626 | 32,679 | 32,004 | 31,830 | 31,040 | 30,311 | 29,443 | 28,703 | 28,357 | 29,298 | 28,741 |
| South East Thames | 30,706 | 31,140 | 31,474 | 30,750 | 30,092 | 29,188 | 28,408 | 27,719 | 27,217 | 26,816 | 26,356 |
Region†
| 1973
| 1974†
| 1975
| 1976
| 1977
| 1978
| 1979
| 1980
| 1981
| 1982†
| 1983
|
| South West Thames | 41,228 | 31,515 | 29,553 | 28,816 | 28,115 | 27,020 | 26,242 | 25,416 | 24,799 | 24,021 | 23,719 |
| Wessex | 16,414 | 21,258 | 20,146 | 19,869 | 19,634 | 19,271 | 19,021 | 18,844 | 18,662 | 18,546 | 18,310 |
| Oxford | 14,914 | 15,296 | 14,668 | 14,613 | 14,184 | 13,836 | 13,664 | 13,422 | 13,247 | 13,113 | 12,817 |
| South Western | 31,416 | 27,259 | 26,467 | 25,719 | 25,190 | 24,892 | 24,456 | 24,245 | 24,143 | 23,861 | 23,459 |
| West Midlands | 39,888 | 38,974 | 37,952 | 37,715 | 37,310 | 36,889 | 36,263 | 35,782 | 35,437 | 35,228 | 34,544 |
| Mersey | 20,757 | 23,962 | 23,613 | 23,406 | 22,964 | 22,732 | 21,981 | 21,331 | 21,025 | 20,519 | 19,848 |
| North Western | 38,121 | 32,827 | 32,344 | 32,053 | 31,681 | 31,310 | 30,811 | 30,839 | 30,662 | 30,677 | 30,384 |
| Special Health Authorities and Boards of Governors | 4,311 | 3,630 | 3,587 | 3,607 | 3,569 | 3,470 | 3,419 | 3,376 | 3,407 | 3,346 | 3,327 |
| Total | 403,526 | 396,235 | 387,632 | 383,132 | 375,926 | 369,235 | 361,670 | 355,979 | 351,669 | 348,104 | 343,091 |
* "Acute" is defined as all specialties except geriatrics, younger disabled, GP maternity, obstetrics, mental handicap and mental illness. | |||||||||||
| † Figures prior to 1974 relate to regional hospital boards and thereafter to regional health authorities. Because of NHS restructuring in 1974 and 1982 the regional figures are not strictly comparable over the whole period. | |||||||||||
| ‡ Includes all mental illness specialties. | |||||||||||
| ≑ Includes GP maternity and obstetrics. | |||||||||||