HC Deb 10 June 1976 vol 912 cc726-7W
Mrs. Ann Taylor

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the latest annual estimate of the number of new patients attending for treatment for mental illness or mental handicap at: (a) day hospitals and (b) out-patient clinics.

Dr. Owen

The number of individual new patients attending for treatment at psychiatric day hospitals is not known. However the number of new spells of treatment at mental illness and mental handicap day hospitals in England in 1974 —the latest year for which information is available—for day patients and in-patients using day hospital facilities was 38,151. In addition, there were 12,556 new spells of day treatment provided in other departments of psychiatric hospitals. The number of new out-patients attending for treatment in England in 1974 was for mental illness—including child and adolescent psychiatry—201,531 and mental handicap 3,280.

Mrs. Ann Taylor

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the latest estimate of the proportion of all hospital patients in National Health Service hospitals who are mentally disordered; and what is the percentage of all nursing staff in National Health Service hospitals who work in hospitals or units for the mentally disordered, including mentally ill and mentally handicapped.

Dr. Owen

Provisional figures indicate that on average at any one time the proportion of in-patients in National Health Service hospitals in England in 1975 under psychiatric care was 44 per cent. The proportion of nurses in all National Health Service hospitals in England in 1975 who work in hospitals and units for the mentally disordered was 22.6 per cent.

Mrs. Ann Taylor

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many mentally ill people attended workshops, day

First Admissions Readmissions Total
Mental Illness Hospitals and units 56,140 114,687 170,827
Mental Handicap Hospitals and units 1,540 10,592 12,132
Total 57,680 125,279 182,959