§ BARONESS BROOKE OF YSTRADFELLTEMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ [The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government how many hospitals have been visited by the Hospital Advisory Committee since its inception, and where these hospitals are situated.]
§ THE PARLIAMENTARY UNDER-SECRETARY OF STATE, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND SCIENCE (LORD BELSTEAD)My Lords, up to February 16, 1972, the Hospital Advisory Service had visited 481 hospitals in England and Wales, 12 of them twice. These include hospitals in all regions and, with the leave of the House, I will circulate the number, by Regional Board area, in the OFFICIAL REPORT.
§ Following is the information referred to:
| NUMBER OF HOSPITALS VISITED AND LOCATION: | |
| England | Totals |
| Newcastle | 11 |
| Leeds | 12 |
| Sheffield | 48 |
| East Anglia | 17 |
| North West Metropolitan | 23 |
| North East Metropolitan | 24 |
| South East Metropolitan | 37 |
| South West Metropolitan | 48 |
| Oxford | 34 |
| South Western | 39 |
| Birmingham | 38 |
| Manchester | 18 |
| Liverpool | 41 |
| Wessex | 46 |
| Wales | 45 |
| 481 |
§ BARONESS BROOKE OF YSTRADFELLTEMy Lords, while thanking the Minister for that most reassuring piece of statistical information, may I ask him whether there have been any disturbing disclosures as a result of these visits, or have they on the whole been reassuring?
§ LORD BELSTEADMy Lords, perhaps the noble Baroness will not think me discourteous if I refer the House to the 1969–70 Annual Report of the Hospital Advisory Service, and particularly the last chapter. Chapter 5, "General comments". I should have thought that the one thing that stands out from that final chapter is, in certain cases, failure of communication.
§ LORD BURNTWOODMy Lords, while taking note of the Minister's promise to circulate further information, may I ask whether he can at this juncture inform the House what proportion of these hospitals were hospitals not concerned with mental health and sub-normality?
§ LORD BELSTEADMy Lords, the other sort of hospital which the Advisory Service visits is geriatric hospitals, and one-fifth of the national total of geriatric hospitals have been visited.
§ BARONESS SEROTAMy Lords, while we all applaud the remarkable achievements of the Hospital Advisory Service in the relatively short period since it was set up, may I ask the noble Lord whether his right honourable friend is now considering extending the range of the Service beyond the field of mental handicap, mental illnesses and geriatric services, to which he has already referred, and whether, in particular, he would be prepared to consider extending it to the care of long-stay children?
§ LORD BELSTEADMy Lords, the Advisory Service was set up by the right honourable friend of the noble Baroness, Mr. Crossman, in 1969. The answer to her substantive question is that it is the view of the Secretary of State for Social Services that as this Service has been running for only two years and is now in its third year he would wish it at the moment to be under review, but without taking any decision at present on its future extension.
§ LORD REIGATEMy Lords, can my noble friend say what priorities the Service sets before itself in preparing its programme for visiting?
§ LORD BELSTEADMy Lords, to help to improve the management of patient care in individual hospitals, and to advise the Secretary of State for Social Services and the Secretary of State for Wales about conditions in the hospitals.
§ LORD AVEBURYMy Lords, in view of the fact that all the concern that has been expressed relates to mental illness and mental subnormality hospitals, is not the important point the number of these hospitals which have not yet been visited by the Hospital Advisory Service? Can the noble Lord say what plans the Service has for visiting hospitals like Oakwood or Cane Hill that have not yet been on the list?
§ LORD BELSTEADMy Lords, all the hospitals for the mentally handicapped throughout England and Wales have been visited. Of hospitals for mental illness, one-third have been visited.
§ BARONESS SUMMERSKILLMy Lords, may I ask the noble Lord whether the hospitals included in the one-third have been visited as a result, I do not say of a complaint but of some communication which has reached the Ministry and has indicated that they should be visited?
§ LORD BELSTEADMy Lords, my information is that where possible the Advisory Service arranges its programme of visits so as to try to complete the visiting of all hospitals and units of one kind in one Regional Hospital Board area before proceeding on to another region.