§ LORD O'HAGANasked Her Majesty's Government:
How many psychiatric beds have been provided in general hospitals each year since 1959.
§ THE MINISTER OF STATE, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL SECURITY (BARONESS SEROTA)The number of psychiatric beds in general hospitals in England and Wales over the period 1963 to 1968 are
Whole-time equivalent of staff employed In Hospital Service By Local Health and Welfare Authorities 1959 1968 1959 1968 Psychiatric Social Workers (a) England and Wales … … 401* 251† No 234 (b) Scotland … … No information available 43 information available 13 Mental Welfare Officers‡ (a) England and Wales … … … — — 1,687 (b) Scotland … … … — — 92 Notes:
* Includes both qualified and unqualified staff: separate figures are not available.
† Qualified staff only: details of unqualified social workers working in hospital psychiatric departments are not available.
‡ This category of staff is not employed in the hospital service.
620WAgiven below. Figures for earlier years are not readily available:
1963 … … … 5,026 1964 … … … 5,163 1965 … … … 5,745 1966 … … … 5,900 1967 … … … 6,133 1968 … … … 6,258
§ LORD O'HAGANasked Her Majesty's Government:
How many psychiatric social workers and mental welfare officers there were in 1959; and how many there are now.
§ BARONESS SEROTAI regret that comparable statistics for the two years are not available. The available figures are set out in the table below:
House adjourned at eleven minutes before eight o'clock.