Mr. Jim Callaghanasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many day care places are available for mentally ill adults in the North-West region; and whether he is satisfied with the rate of growth in the provision of such places.
419W
§ Sir George YoungAt the end of 1980, the latest date for which figures—provisional—are available, there were 1,696 places available in NHS day hospitals for the adult mentally ill in the North Western regional health authority area. As regards social services provision for day care, at 31 March 1980 in the—larger—North Western social services region there were 396 places available in local authority day centres specifically designated for use by the adult mentally ill, or made available to local authorities by other organisations. Additionally there were 1,853 places in local authority day centres in which places were not allocated to particular client groups, but information on the extent to which these places may be used for the mentally ill is not available centrally.
On the question of the rate of growth, I refer the hon. member to the general considerations set out in my reply to the hon. Member for Lewisham, West (Mr. Price) on 4 June.—[Vol. 5, c. 402–5.]