§ Mr. Foulkesasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what developments his Department has been involved in in caring for geriatric and psychogeriatric patients in each of the last five years.
§ Mr. John MacKayDuring the past five years my Department has been involved in work on four different aspects of the provision of care for such patients: the revision of medical and nursing training programmes with a view to giving greater emphasis to the needs of the elderly; providing support for the two programme planning groups which produced reports on services for the elderly and the elderly with mental disability; the preparation of standard plans for psychogeriatric accommodation; and providing support for a variety of research programmes in this field. The day-to-day responsibility for the care of such patients rests of course with health boards.
§ Mr. Foulkesasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list, for each health board in Scotland, the number of beds for geriatric and psychogeriatric patients; and how this compares with the recommended level.
§ Mr. John MacKayThe information in respect of geriatric patients is set out in the following table. Population and bed statistics are taken from the most recently published figures. The ratio of 40 beds per 1,000 population aged 75 or over as the requirement for geriatric beds in Scotland is based on the recommended level of provision as contained in the report of the Scottish Health Service Planning Council entitled "Scottish Health Authorities Priorities for the Eighties" (SHAPE). Separate comprehensive statistics are not available for psychogeriatric patients since most of these patients are treated in beds designated as mental illness beds.
106W
Health Board Estimated Population Aged 75+ (30 June 1980) Number of beds required (40/1000 population) Average Staffed beds (30 September 1980) Argyll and Clyde 21,399 856 1,000 Ayrshire and Arran 18,122 725 632 Borders 7,258 290 227 Dumfries and Galloway 8,189 327 303 Fife 17,215 688 505 Forth Valley 12,195 488 551 Grampian 26,417 1,056 888 Greater Glasgow 56,190 2,248 2,420 Highland 9,836 393 399 Lanarkshire 20,269 811 1,063 Lothian 40,317 1,612 1,462 Orkney 1,191 48 51 Shetland 1,214 49 87 Tayside 24,118 965 895 Western Isles 2,466 99 105 SCOTLAND 266,396 10,655 10,588