Hansard

Hospital Beds

Volume 489: debated on Thursday 19 March 2009

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Mr. Gray

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many acute hospital beds there were per 1,000 of local populations in each health authority area in each of the last 10 years. (264215)

Mr. Bradshaw

The average daily number of available acute beds in wards open overnight per 1,000 of local population in each strategic health authority (SHA) area is shown in the following table. The current 10 SHAs were established on 1 July 2006. Prior to this there were 28 SHAs. Data for 1997-98 to 2001-02 have been mapped to the 28 SHAs that were established on 1 April 2002 as Office for National Statistics population estimates have been produced at this level.

Bed numbers have fallen because hospitals are dealing with patients more efficiently and more people are treated in primary care settings—experts all agree that this is the best way to deliver health care to patients.

Advances in medical technology and shorter stays for routine operations mean fewer beds are needed across the service—this is part of a long-term downward trend in the average length of stay in hospital. But where the NHS needs more beds, there are more beds. For example, in day surgery, the number of day-only beds has increased by more than 47 per cent. since 1997-98, and we now have 55 per cent. more critical care beds and 116 per cent. more intermediate care beds than we had in 2000.

Average daily number of available acute beds in wards open overnight per 1,000 population

SHA code

SHA name

2006-07

2007-08

England

2.05

1.98

Q30

North East

2.56

2.45

Q31

North West

2.47

2.35

Q32

Yorkshire and the Humber

2.28

2.18

Q33

East Midlands

1.81

1.80

Q34

West Midlands

2.16

2.14

Q35

East of England

1.54

1.51

Q36

London

2.08

1.94

Q37

South East Coast

1.61

1.53

Q38

South Central

1.64

1.64

Q39

South West

2.30

2.24

SHA code

SHA name

1997-98

1998-99

1999-2000

2000-01

2001-02

2002-03

2003-04

2004-05

2005-06

England

2.22

2.21

2.19

2.19

2.19

2.19

2.20

2.19

2.14

Q01

Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire SHA

2.15

2.13

2.12

2.15

2.13

2.13

2.19

2.12

1.98

Q02

Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire SHA

0.99

1.00

1.00

1.22

1.28

1.25

1.29

1.38

1.26

Q03

Essex Strategic HA

1.48

1.46

1.47

1.49

1.47

1.49

1.52

1.51

1.51

Q04

North West London Strategic HA

2.59

2.66

2.40

2.22

2.19

2.16

2.17

2.22

2.13

Q05

North Central London Strategic HA

3.12

2.99

2.87

2.81

2.71

2.68

2.78

2.69

2.64

Q06

North East London Strategic HA

2.38

2.33

2.16

2.22

2.24

2.24

2.26

2.21

2.22

Q07

South East London Strategic HA

2.32

2.26

2.25

2.27

2.21

2.09

2.09

2.05

1.92

Q08

South West London Strategic HA

1.95

1.93

2.15

2.14

2.15

2.04

2.12

2.19

2.15

Q09

Northumberland, Tyne and Wear Strategic HA

2.76

2.76

2.76

2.74

2.76

2.74

2.75

2.74

2.77

Q10

County Durham and Tees Valley SHA

2.65

2.62

2.59

2.59

2.49

2.41

2.45

2.38

2.33

Q11

North and East Yorkshire and North Lincs SHA

2.02

1.90

1.89

1.92

1.91

1.97

1.94

1.94

1.92

Q12

West Yorkshire Strategic HA

2.49

2.44

2.42

2.43

2.38

2.30

2.28

2.20

2.13

Q13

Cumbria and Lancashire Strategic HA

2.42

2.47

2.39

2.43

2.32

2.32

2.30

2.21

2.20

Q14

Greater Manchester Strategic HA

2.83

2.82

2.82

2.80

2.83

2.78

2.82

2.79

2.71

Q15

Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic HA

2.51

2.51

2.60

2.67

2.69

2.70

2.72

2.77

2.68

Q16

Thames Valley Strategic HA

1.90

1.86

1.81

1.65

1.82

1.85

1.85

1.84

1.80

Q17

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Strategic HA

1.87

1.81

1.78

1.91

1.92

1.94

2.00

2.00

1.83

Q18

Kent and Medway Strategic HA

1.67

1.67

1.69

1.70

1.62

1.57

1.55

1.57

1.54

Q19

Surrey and Sussex Strategic HA

1.88

1.83

1.70

1.77

1.84

1.79

1.92

1.84

1.80

Q20

Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire SHA

2.32

2.40

2.40

2.33

2.34

2.42

2.43

2.43

2.56

Q21

South West Peninsula Strategic HA

2.43

2.45

2.48

2.50

2.61

2.58

2.61

2.57

2.50

Q22

Dorset and Somerset Strategic HA

2.21

2.16

2.16

2.15

2.14

2.15

2.24

2.19

2.16

Q23

South Yorkshire Strategic HA

2.78

2.88

2.81

2.83

2.93

3.07

2.97

3.02

3.05

Q24

Trent Strategic HA

2.12

2.12

2.17

2.11

2.02

1.96

1.94

1.90

1.85

Q25

Leics, Northants and Rutland SHA

1.91

1.92

1.96

1.94

1.91

1.99

1.95

1.89

1.93

Q26

Shropshire and Staffordshire SHA

1.77

1.84

1.83

1.89

1.90

1.85

1.85

1.83

1.78

Q27

Birmingham and The Black Country SHA

2.52

2.55

2.55

2.60

2.60

2.66

2.62

2.68

2.69

Q28

West Midlands South Strategic HA

1.99

1.98

2.00

1.97

2.06

2.15

2.06

2.07

2.07

Notes: 1. The data are for beds in wards open overnight only. 2. The data on day-only beds cannot be split by sector to show just acute beds. Source: Department of Health KH03 return, ONS Mid Year population estimates.