HC Deb 19 February 1986 vol 92 cc202-3W
Mr. Strang

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will give for each year from 1976 to 1986–87, giving estimated figures where actual figures are not yet available, for (a) the United Kingdom as a whole and (b) England: (i) the total number of patients, (ii) the number of patients in each of the following age ranges: under two years, two to four years, five to nine years, 10 to 15 years, 16 to 18 years, 19 to 64 years, 65 to 74 years and 75 plus years, (iii) the number of patients per 100,000 population, (iv) the number of under 16-year-olds, (v) the number of under 16-year-olds per 100,000 population, (vi) the number of adults over 16 years of age, and (vii) the number of adults over 16 years of age per 100,000 population in hospitals for the mentally handicapped.

Mr. Whitney

The available information for England is given in the tables. Statistics for the rest of the United Kingdom are a matter for my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Table 1
Resident patients at 31 December in mental handicap hospitals and hospital units in England
Summary statistics
Numbers Age specific rate per 100,000 population
Year All ages 0–15 years 16 years and over All ages 0–15 years 16 years and over
1976 48,959 4,263 44,696 105.6 38.0 127.1
1977 47,947 3,878 44,069 103.4 35.3 124.6
1978 46,863 3,287 43,576 101.1 30.4 122.6
1979 45,596 2,839 42,757 98.3 26.7 119.5
Numbers Age specific rate per 100,000 population
Year All ages 0–15 years 16 years and over All ages 0–15 years 16 years and over
1980 44,444 2,421 42,023 95.6 23.1 116.7
1981 43,091 1,994 41,097 92.1 19.4 112.5
1982 41,712 1,629 40,083 89.1 16.1 109.2
1983 40,183 1,274 38,909 85.8 12.8 105.4
1984* 36,687 741 35,946 78.1 7.6 96.7

Table 2
Resident patients at 31 December in mental handicap hospitals and hospital units in England. Detailed age distribution.
Number
Age (years)
Year 0–1 2–4 5–9 10–15 16–18 19–64 65–74 75 and over
*1976 16 122 925 3,200 2,100 36,210 — 6,386 —
*1977 9 110 811 2,948 2,177 35,373 — 6,519 —
1978 9 76 637 2,565 2,214 34,704 4,731 1,927
1979 7 58 553 2,221 2,189 33,901 4,634 2,033
1980 6 57 471 1,887 2,019 33,396 4,538 2,070
1981 7 61 340 1,586 1,685 32,845 4,391 2,176
1982 7 61 295 1,266 1,496 32,172 4,201 2,214
1983 5 36 226 1,007 1,307 31,387 3,975 2,240
1984 2 18 127 594 878 29,051 3,831 2,186

* Separate figures for the 65–74 and 75 and over age groups are not available.

The figures for 1984 may not be directly comparable with those for earlier years because the 1984 figures exclude residents in small NHS mental handicap units in the community, many of whom would have been included in the figures for earlier years, but not in a separately identifiable form.