To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 8 November 2006, Official Report, column 1790W, on accident and emergency departments, in what format data relating to the catchment areas of accident and emergency departments are collected. (131940)

In terms of information on accident and emergency (A and E) departments, national health service trusts self-report the number of A and E services they provide against definitions set by the Department for the three types of A and E. This information is not available at the level of individual hospitals.

Population data are also available at the level of strategic health authorities.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 12 March 2007, Official Report, column 117W, on accident and emergency departments, what the evidential basis is for increasing consensus among professional bodies that a critical size of hospital is required to ensure that specialist facilities are available to treat all patients with emergency needs safely; and what the (a) date of publication and (b) professional body responsible is in each case. (131969)

Reports for example by Collins (1999) “Organisation of acute general services” Joint Consultants Committee, and from the Royal College of Surgeons (2006) “Delivering high quality surgical services for the future—a consultation document from the Royal College of Surgeons of England reconfiguration working party”, make reference to suggested catchment areas for hospitals and services that should be available.