HC Deb 13 March 1985 vol 75 cc287-8
3. Mr. MacKenzie

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will cause a survey to be conducted about the problems of elderly mentally confused people in Scotland and thereafter publish his findings.

The Secretary of State for Scotland (Mr. George Younger)

The needs of this group have not substantially changed since the Timbury report on services for the elderly with mental disability was published, and I see no need at present for a further survey.

Mr. MacKenzie

Does the Secretary of State accept that the problem of senile dementia in Scotland is growing, and that all those old people and their families are in "a Catch 22 situation"? They cannot be taken into old folks' homes because they are too confused, and they cannot go into hospitals because there are insufficient beds. Will he ensure that more beds are made available for people in that condition, and will he provide them as fast as he can?

Mr. Younger

I well appreciate the right hon. Gentleman's anxiety about this matter, which worries every Member of Parliament. We have made considerable progress recently towards implementing the recommendations of the Timbury report. It recommended that by 1991 we should have 7,200 hospital beds for that group of patients. We have 5,000 now, and by 1987 there should be 6,000. We are well on the way to implementing the recommendations. I shall do what I can to ensure that the health boards maintain their priorities in this important matter.

Mrs. McCurley

Will my right hon. Friend encourage the development of private nursing home accommodation for the frail, the confused and the elderly? Will he also ensure that the nursing home regulations, which are in some doubt at the moment, are tightened up?

Mr. Younger

I well appreciate what my hon. Friend says. I, of course, encourage private provision, provided that it is up to acceptable standards, and we shall do all that we can to ensure that it is. As I have said, we continually impress on the health boards the need to put Health Service provision at the top of their priority lists.

Mr. Foulkes

Does the Secretary of State welcome the setting up of Scottish Action on Dementia? Will he take up with the chairman of the Ayrshire and Arran health board the shortfall in places to deal with dementia so that we see some action towards the aims and objectives of the Timbury report in the area which he and I represent?

Mr. Younger

Yes, Sir. I agree with the hon. Gentleman about that. We have had a long-standing shortage of this accommodation in the part of the country that we represent. The health board has the matter at the top of its priorities, and I hope that it will be able to take good action soon.

Sir Hector Monro

Will my right hon. Friend do all that he can to maintain capital expenditure on improving hospitals for the mentally ill, especially for the young mentally ill, so that they can be treated as near to their homes as possible?

Mr. Younger

I agree with the aims that my hon. Friend has outlined. I am glad to say that the programme for capital building in hospitals has been kept at a steady, high level during the past few years. I hope that we can keep it that way.

Mr. Ewing

Will the Secretary of State reject the poor house mentality of the hon. Member for Renfrew, West and Inverclyde (Mrs. McCurley)? Will he tell the House how many of the 5,000 beds that are now available for the treatment of senile dementia were planned by this Conservative Administration, and how many were planned by the Labour Government? When will the Government be in a position to tell us about some new building programme to relieve this serious problem?

Mr. Younger

If the hon. Gentleman wants figures for the dates when the various parts if the programme were put into effect, I shall gladly answer a question if he tables one.

The hon. Gentleman did not strengthen his case by his wholly unwarranted interpretation of the question by my hon. Friend the Member for Renfrew, West and Inverclyde (Mrs. McCurley), which bore no resemblance to what she asked. My hon. Friend expressed the hope that the private sector could also help to deal with these people who need help. If the hon. Gentleman cannot welcome that, he is not worthy of the Front Bench.