§ 10. Mr. Conlanasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what proposals he has for increasing the amount of psychiatric accommodation on South Tyneside.
§ The Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Security (Mr. Michael Alison)It is our policy in redeveloping psychiatric services to bring them closer to the population served. The Regional Hospital Board's long-term plan is to base the hospital services for the mentally ill on psychiatric departments in Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Gateshead and South Shields General Hospital, each containing in-patient, day-patient and out-patient facilities sufficient for the populations served by these general hospitals. Future plans for services for the mentally handicapped are at present being considered jointly by the hospital board and the local authorities.
§ Mr. ConlanI am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for that reply. Does he recognise that South Tyneside is inadequately served by the excellent hospital at St. Mary's Stannington? Recently a lady who attempted to commit suicide by throwing herself off the Tyne bridge on three occasions on the same evening was refused admittance to St. Mary's because of overcrowding. Therefore, is not there a case for bringing forward the plans for a psychiatric unit at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in the short term rather than the long term?
§ Mr. AlisonI am aware of the particular case in relation to St. Mary's Hospital, about which representations are being considered. As the hon. Gentleman will have learned from my answer, because of the difficulties of distance and separation we are trying to bring the facilities of the South Shields and the Queen Elizabeth Hospitals forward as rapidly as resources permit in order to bring them nearer home.