§ Mr. Ray Powellasked the Secretary of State for Wales, further to his reply of 26 July, Official Report, c. 410, what conclusions were reached by his hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State when he visited St. David's hospital, Carmarthen, in January 1980; and whether any action was taken as a result of the visit.
§ Mr. Nicholas EdwardsMy hon. Friend was very concerned about the poor conditions and standards of care at the hospital. Following his visit a succession of measures were taken to help the Dyfed health authority improve the situation. In March 1980 I increased the authority's recurrent revenue funding by £657,000 over and above its share of general revenue growth. In May of that year I approved expenditure of £2.3 million for replacement accommodation at St. David's hospital for 90 645W patients in three ward units, together with the upgrading of the central block to provide 44 beds of present-day standard. In September 1980 I approved expenditure of £2.7 million on improvements at Bryntirion hospital, Llanelli, including the provision of a 30-bed long-stay geriatric unit and a replacement 30-bed unit for the elderly mentally infirm, one aim of which is to relieve overcrowding at St. David's hospital.
In March 1981 I increased the health authority's recurrent revenue funding by £678,000 over and above its share of general revenue growth. In November of that year arrangements were made for a visit by Welsh Office professional staff to visit St. David's hospital and report. The visit took place in January 1982 and their severely critical report led to the invitation to the Health Advisory Service to conduct an urgent review of psychiatric services in Dyfed. In February this year I allocated almost £160,000 for the upgrading of wards at St. David's hospital and I increased the health authority's recurring revenue funding by a further £542,000 over and above its share of general revenue growth.