HC Deb 19 July 1972 vol 841 cc126-7W
Mr. Pardoe

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the number of people, respectively, who were involuntarily committed and who voluntarily committed themselves to mental health institutions in each of the years from 1966 to 1971; and the percentage of these people who were released in each of these years.

Mr. Alison

The numbers of admissions to psychiatric hospitals and units, including the special hospitals, in England and Wales in the years 1966 to 1971 were as follows:

Year Informal Detained
1966 146,045 35,122
1967 152,964 33,057
1968 156,902 33,418
1969 159,825 33,141
1970 161,958 33,145
1971 165,315 30,484

It is not possible to identify within these categories the percentage of patients discharged in any one year; many patients change from detained to informal status after admission.