HC Deb 13 June 1978 vol 951 cc428-30W
Mr. Moonman

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services when he expects to publish the report of the working party on organisation and management of psychiatric hospitals.

Mr. Ennals

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to the right hon. Member for Wanstead and Woodford (Mr. Jenkin) on 10th February.—[Vol. 943, c.703–4.]

Mr. Moonman

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether, following the allocation of £14 million to regional health authorities for the provision of secure units for psychiatric patients any units have opened as a result of that allocation.

Mr. Michael Spicer

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many places in regional secure units are currently available in England and Wales.

Mr. Moyle

No regional secure units as such have opened yet. I would refer the hon. Members to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Rother Valley (Mr. Hardy) on 16th February.—[Vol. 944, c.345.]

Mr. Moonman

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services, in view of the allocation of £14 million to regional health authorities for the provision of secure psychiatric facilities, what steps are being taken to monitor this expenditure.

Mr. Moyle

I assume my hon. Friend is referring to the special capital funds which my Department has undertaken to make available for setting up regional secure units. Regional health authorities are required to obtain the approval of the Department to their plans for these units, including estimated costs and to submit progress returns of capital expenditure being incurred.

Mr. Moonman

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many working days were lost in each of the three previous years due to industrial disputes in psychiatric hospitals.

Mr. Moyle

I regret that this information is not available. Psychiatric hospitals are not identified separately from others for the purposes of recording centrally the number of working days lost due to industrial disputes.

Mr. Arthur Jones

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many health districts have achieved the level of psychiatric nurse staffing of 85 nurses per 100,000 population as set out in "Better Services for the Mentally Ill".

Mr. Moyle

I regret that the information requested is not available centrally. The nursing staff statistics for individual large psychiatric hospitals cannot be readily related to the district population served as they mostly have catchment areas covering more than one district.

Mr. Richard Wainwright

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the current cost per week for a person living in a group home for ex-psychiatric patients.

Mr. Moyle

Information in this form is not available. I would refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Bromsgrove and Redditch (Mr. Miller) today for the average cost per resident in a local authority hostel for the adult mentally ill.

Mr. Michael Spicer

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) by what percentage psychiatric hospitals in England and Wales are below their staffing establishment for doctors and nurses;

(2) how many unfilled vacancies there are for doctors and nurses in psychiatric hospitals in England and Wales.

Mr. Moyle

I regret that this information is not available centrally. Staffing establishments for psychiatric hospitals are a matter for individual health authorities, taking account of guidance issued by the Department and regions, while information on vacancies is collected centrally only for the most senior medical grades.

Mr. Michael Spicer

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) how many places are available in psychiatric hospitals which offer secure accommodation suitable for patients who are disruptive or potentially violent but not considered to he sufficiently dangerous to warrant admission to a special hospital;

(2) if he will list those regional health authorities which currently have interim secure facilities for the mentally ill.

Mr. Moyle

Arrangements for secure facilities vary considerably between regions, and it is not possible to state how many secure places are available in psychiatric hospitals. It is the policy of a number of regions that each mental illness hospital should provide a secure psychiatric service for its own catchment area. Units designated as interim secure units have been set up by Mersey, North Western and Wessex regional health authorities and provide a total of 71 places.