HC Deb 14 February 1966 vol 724 cc891-2
7. Mr. Biggs-Davison

asked the Minister of Health what progress hospital management committees have made with the implementation of his circular on improving the effectiveness of the hospital service for the mentally subnormal; and whether he will make a statement, with particular reference to research within the hospital.

Mr. K. Robinson

The full implementation of this recent circular will take time, and it is too early to assess progress.

Mr. Biggs-Davison

Is the Minister aware of the opinion that relatively too much is being spent on administration and not enough on research? What plans does the Minister have for the improvement of junior training centres which, despite devoted staff, are inadequate in my part of Essex?

Mr. Robinson

In general, the development of junior training centres is proceeding at a very satisfactory pace. In reply to the first part of his supplementary question, I assure the hon. Member that over 300 research projects concerned with sub-normality were initiated or completed in hospitals during the five-year period to 1964 and that the majority of these were in hospitals for the subnormal.

Mr. Fell

As the greatest drawback to an improvement in caring for the mentally subnormal is, as is shown in my local hospital, the lack of nurses, both male and female, will the Minister look carefully at the scales of pay for nurses in this type of nursing?

Mr. Robinson

As the hon. Member knows, there has recently been a substantial improvement in nurses' pay, and there is a differential in favour of psychiatric nurses which has been maintained.

Sir K. Joseph

In the light of the case of the boy Tommy Coyne, reported in the papers this morning, will the Minister look urgently and carefully at the treatment of the young mentally subnormal?

Mr. Robinson

Yes, Sir. The boy in question is not subnormal, but is a psychiatrically ill patient. Perhaps I may take this opportunity of saying that I am having a full investigation made but that a preliminary study of the facts suggests a very different picture from that presented in the Sunday newspaper concerned.