Schizophrenia: Newspaper Articles (Hansard, 17 March 1986)

§ Baroness Elliot of Harwood
My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question standing in my name on the Order Paper.

§ Baroness Hooper
My Lords, perhaps I may begin by expressing the regret of my noble friend Lady Trumpington that she is unable to reply to this Question herself. She is, in fact, attending the National Schizophrenia Fellowship Conference in Oxford.
We have indeed noted the series of articles in The Times; and the noble Baroness will be aware from my noble friend's letter in The Times on 23rd December, and from the interview with my right honourable friend the Secretary of State, that we have for some time been addressing ourselves to the problems recently highlighted by The Times. In particular, two years ago we launched a specific central initiative designed to improve the quantity and quality of contact with schizophrenia sufferers needing longterm community care. Most recently the Secretary of State has announced the decision to launch a series of development projects which will help to ensure that health districts can really offer comprehensive care to people with schizophrenia living in the community.

§ Baroness Elliot of Harwood
My Lords, I thank my noble friend very much for that reply. I knew about the conference, which is very important, and I am very glad that the Government have taken this matter very seriously to heart. I should like to ask my noble friend one supplementary question. With the closing of quite a few mental hospitals and with schizophrenic patients living in the community, do the Government realise that it is very difficult to care for people with schizophrenia in a community and that nothing like enough help is available? Cannot something be done?—because otherwise tragedies such as people committing suicide when they go out into the world and find that they cannot cope will happen more often. I hope the Government realise that community care is vital and that it is inadequate at the present time.

§ Baroness Hooper
My Lords, on a number of occasions, including during the recent debate in your Lordships' House only last December, we have stated that consideration is to be given not only to sufferers from schizophrenia but to the people who look after 788 them in the community. It is perhaps worth pointing out that schizophrenia tends to be an episodic illness. Many sufferers are valued members of their family circle between episodes of illness. However, where pressures become unbearable, as they certainly can, it may well be appropriate to take the patient into hospital for assessment and rehabilitation until things have settled down again. We believe that comprehensive psychiatric services would regularly provide such a service.

§ Lord Ennals
My Lords, is the noble Baroness aware that many of the problems which are so described apply to all sorts of other people with mental illness and that there is a very serious problem of health authorities discharging into the community patients who have been suffering from mental illness when local authorities do not have or are not using funds to provide community care? Is this not a problem which is happening all over the country? Is it not possible for the noble Baroness's department to play a more active role in tackling this problem, which in a sense lies between the health authorities and the local authorities?

§ Baroness Hooper
My Lords, on a number of occasions we have stated that any hospitals which it is proposed to close will not be closed unless the necessary alternative services are available to replace them. Broadly, as regards local health authorities, the Secretary of State has in mind to provide earmarked support over the the next few years, particularly for innovative projects for community care for mentally ill people in a number of districts. The results will then be carefully evaluated and publicised for the general benefit.

Lord Campbell of Croy
My Lords, does my noble friend agree that The Times has performed an outstanding service in enlightening its readers about this, the most common of the serious mental illnesses, and in particular in helping to dispel the illusion that it is simply a Jekyll and Hyde phenomenon? Is my noble friend aware that, although it is now possible, owing to advances in medicine, for many schizophrenics to live outside institutions, cases differ and there are some who are quite incapable of fending for themselves, who need care in the community or return to hospital?

§ Baroness Hooper
My Lords, the Government did indeed welcome the series of articles in The Times, as well as recent programmes on television concerning schizophrenia, as it helps to create a greater awareness in the community of the problems of these particular sufferers. In fact, the cases quoted were not unique; nor were they necessarily typical. I think it is necessary to say that it would be totally wrong to assume some sort of automatic link between schizophrenia and violence as a result of some of the examples quoted. However, it is certainly the Government's intention to preserve hospital or institutional remedies for this type of suffering so that those who are not capable of total care in the community can at least have periods in hospital.

§ Lord Elwyn-Jones
My Lords, are the Government giving sufficient help to bodies like the Mental Health 789 Foundation, which are doing admirable work in this field? The Times articles rather gave the impression that no one was doing anything about it. A great deal of research has been carried out into this difficult problem. Will the noble Baroness look into the need to give recognition and encouragement to the bodies that are already at work in the field?

§ Baroness Hooper
My Lords, the Government fully acknowledge the valuable contribution of the voluntary sector and other organisations in this matter. There have recently been remarkable breakthroughs in research and techniques to help sufferers, but the department assists voluntary sector organisations by making grants available for this research.

§ Lord Elwyn-Jones
My Lords, perhaps I should have declared an interest in that I am president of the Mental Health Foundation.

§ Lord Mottistone
My Lords, is my noble friend aware that I, too, attended the meeting in Oxford to which she referred, for its morning session? Is she also aware that when one of the speakers said that before people are discharged from hospital it must be ensured that there are adequate facilities for receiving them into the community, particularly when their families cannot take them, this received prolonged clapping? I understand that this might mean further legislation. Would my noble friend give consideration to such legislation being introduced?

§ Baroness Hooper
My Lords, I am most grateful to my noble friend for giving us a hot-from-the-scene report on the conference taking place in Oxford today. The subject of legislation has been raised on many occasions, and not least, as I said before, in the debate in your Lordships' House in December. It has been suggested that legislation is required, but the Government feel that legislation itself could not conceivably solve all problems and they are taking time and care not to rush into further legislation without the most careful thought.

§ Lord Mayhew
My Lords, does the noble Baroness agree that, whereas this is a profoundly worrying situation, there has, at least in the last 10 or 20 years, been a considerable increase in public sympathy and understanding of these mental illnesses?

§ Baroness Hooper
My Lords, I would certainly agree with the noble Lord, and I thank him for his comment.

Lord Campbell of Croy
My Lords, does my noble friend agree that one of the most useful contributions that Parliamentarians could make would be to refrain from misusing the expressions "schizophrenia" and "schizophrenic" in public debate on other subjects?

§ Baroness Hooper
My Lords, I agree.

§ Lord Greenway
My Lords, may I ask the noble Baroness whether the Government will keep an open mind on alternative treatments of schizophrenia, and I refer in particular to diet?

§ Baroness Hooper
Yes, my Lords, I think I can assure the noble Lord that one of the grants recently made to the voluntary sector is particularly for research into this aspect.