Mary Henry (Independent)

While I also wish the Minister of State well, he will be hearing from me regularly. I am glad he ended his speech by congratulating those who work in the acute hospitals. Never has there been a greater throughput of activity within these hospitals. What is being done on a day-care basis is amazing, but that is not to say I agree totally with all that is being done in this respect. Many patients could do with the care and comfort of at least one night in a hospital bed, for example, when having a gall bladder removed. Unfortunately, more straightforward operations of this kind are now being done on a day-care basis.