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38.
Mr. Tim Smith
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services which regional health authority has the best utilisation of beds and which has the worst; and by how much those authorities have improved their performance since 1979.
Mrs. Currie
Inter-regional comparisons should be treated with some caution given the differing age structure and range of provision. however, information in terms of the number of in-patient cases treated for each available bed in 1985, the latest year for which figures are available centrally, is given in the table.
| In-patient cases treated per available bed, NHS hospitals | |||
| 1985 | 1979 | Percentage change 1979–1985 | |
| Acute specialties | |||
| Highest throughput in 1985, Oxford RHA | 38·6 | 31·6 | +22 |
| Lowest throughput in 1985, Yorkshire RHA | 34·4 | 27·6 | +25 |
| All specialties | |||
| Highest throughput in 1985, Oxford RHA | 23·7 | 18·4 | +29 |
| Lowest throughput in 1985, SW Thames RHA1 | 15·5 | 11·9 | +30 |
| 1 Figures are not strictly comparable because of the effects of NHS restructuring in 1982. | |||