Mental Illness: Task Force (Hansard, 17 December 1992)

§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Baroness Cumberlege)
My Lords, the terms of reference of the mental health task force are to increase the impetus towards the long established goal of creating effective and comprehensive local mental health services in place of long-stay hospitals. In addition to David King, the task force will be made up of three programme directors and a representative support group drawn from the key interest groups.

§ Lord Mottistone
My Lords, is my noble friend aware that "task force" is a United States naval term which means many ships? That can be reduced to task groups which are several ships. It could even be task units which are a few ships, and possibly even task elements which consist of one ship. As I understand it, so far this unit consists of one unit only. Does she think that one person may have a viewpoint which will not result in a balanced recommendation to my noble friend and her fellow Ministers.

§ Baroness Cumberlege
My Lords, my noble friend will be aware that it is not just David King who will form the task force. It will be made up of three programme directors and a representative support group drawn from key interest groups. I am sure that noble Lords would want to wish that particular vessel a safe journey.

§ Lord Ennals
My Lords, bearing in mind the important role played by the voluntary organisations in the provision of mental health services, will the Minister say whether there will be representatives of any of the voluntary organisations—I am thinking of MIND in the first place—on the team, or what consultations there will be if they are not members of the team?

§ Baroness Cumberlege
My Lords, all the key voluntary groups are associated with and involved in the support group: the National Association of Mental Health (MIND), the National Schizophrenia Fellowship, SANE and various other user groups.

§ Lord Thurlow
My Lords, does the Minister agree that the central problem is to relate the rate of closure of hospital beds to the provision of the alternative services to which she referred? Great emphasis has been placed by Ministers on the necessity for speed in shutting the old hospitals. Why the speed? Why not place emphasis on the reprovision of the alternative facilities which are desperately needed and of which we are short?

§ Baroness Cumberlege
My Lords, there is enormous emphasis on reprovision, but I should like to point out to noble Lords that the cost of keeping a patient in a long-stay institution now is enormous. In Netherne Hospital, which is in the region I used to chair, it costs £46,000 a year. That is a huge amount of money. We could do magical things in the community with £46,000 per person.

Lord Finsburg
My Lords, how will the task force relate to the Mental Health Commission set up under the Mental Health Acts?

§ Baroness Cumberlege
My Lords, I should like to assure my noble friend that it will work very closely with the Mental Health Commission.

§ Lord Rix
My Lords, does the Minister recall that on 27th October a Question was put by my noble friend Lord Allen of Abbeydale which asked: Whether they will now appoint a task force comparable with that with mentally ill, to work with the national development team in encouraging good practices in services for the mentally handicapped". He received this response from the Minister: My Lords, we have no plans to do so".—[Official Report, 27/10/92; col. 1011.] In view of that disappointing reply, will the mental health task force be looking at action to improve the mental health of people with a learning disability, as required in Wales under the Welsh Office Protocol Investment in Health Gain, but apparently ignored totally in England under the Government's White Paper The Health of the Nation?

§ Baroness Cumberlege
My Lords, essentially the task force will be looking at long-stay institutions for mentally ill people and not for people with a mental handicap. The Government have chosen not to set up a specific task force for people with learning disabilities because they believe great progress has been made in this area. Perhaps I may add that is not least due to the efforts of Mencap.

§ Baroness Masham of Ilton
My Lords, will there be someone with an interest in prisons on the task force, because prisons such as Brixton will have mental health units for mentally ill people?

§ Baroness Cumberlege
My Lords, I am sure that that is the case.

§ Lady Kinloss
My Lords—

§ Lord Hesketh
My Lords we have passed the 30 minutes.