HC Deb 24 May 1985 vol 79 cc588-90W
Mrs. Renée Short

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many officials of his Department attended the conference in London recently on mental health service planning which it arranged jointly with the Royal College of Psychiatrists.

Mr. Kenneth Clarke

Including sessional chairmen, 22 professional and administrative staff from our Department attended some part of the conference on "Mental Health Service Planning" held on 7 and 8 March 1985.

Mrs. Renée Short

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he has any proposals for implementing any of the recommendations made at the recent conference in London on mental health service planning attended by representatives of his Department and by representatives of the British Association of Social Workers, the British Psychological Society, MENCAP, MIND, the Royal College of General Practitioners and the Royal College of Nursing.

Mr. Kenneth Clarke

The conference held on 7–8 March was organised jointly by the Royal College of Psychiatrists and our Department. Other participants were drawn from regional and district health authorities, local authorities, local authority associations, the National Association of Health Authorities, professional organisations and voluntary organisations working in the field of mental illness and mental handicap.

The conference was held to enable participants to look jointly at problems associated with the implementation of our policies for mental health service planning in England and Wales. It was not constituted to consider or vote on formal recommendations. A wide variety of opinions was

Table
Region Area/District Hospital Type of Hospital Mental Illness (MI) or Mental Handicap (MH) Date Approved
(i) MI and MH Hospitals approved for complete closure May 1979.December 1979
Trent Sheffield Wales Court Hospital MH December 1979
(ii) MI and MH Hospitals approved for complete closure 1980
South West Thames East Surrey Clerks Croft Hospital MI September 1980
West Midlands Hereford and Worcester Holme Lacy Hospital MI November 1980
Mersey Liverpool Liverpool Psychiatric Day Hospital MI September 1980
(iii) MI and MH Hospitals approved for complete closure 1981
Yorkshire Wakefield Carr Gate Hospital MI November 1981
Wakefield Newton Lodge Annex MI November 1981
Trent Sheffield St. Joseph's Hospital MH November 1981
North West Thames Ealing, Hammersmith and Hounslow Temple Hill House MI March 1981
Mersey Chester Tabley Hostel MH December 1981
(iv) MI and MH Hospitals approved for complete closure 1982
South East Thames Tunbridge Wells Mansell House MH December 1982
North Western Bolton Hovercroft Free Discharge Unit MI February 1982
(v) MI and MH Hospitals approved for complete closure 1983
Trent South Derbyshire Blakeley MI March 1983
North West Thames Victoria Vincent Square Day Hospital MI December 1983
Victoria All Saints Hospital MI December 1983
North East Thames North East Essex Essex Hall MH July 1983
Wessex Portsmouth and South East Hampshire Sandy Point MH November 1983
South Western Frenchay Leigh Court MH June 1983
(vi) MI and MH Hospitals approved for complete closure 1984
Trent Sheffield Scott Road and Commonside Hostels MH October 1984

expressed. The participants had before them the recommendations in the Social Services Committee report on community care with special reference to adult mentally ill and mentally handicapped people, published on 28 February. In considering our response to that Report we are taking account of points made at the conference.