§ Mr. Irvingasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what guidance his Department has issued about accommodation for patients now receiving in-patient care in district general hospital psychiatric departments.
§ Mr. WhitneyCurrent departmental guidance is contained in hospital building note 35 published in 1973. As indicated in my reply to my hon. Friend on 26 June at column293, this guidance will be superseded by a revised publication early next year. The Department has also produced a series of reports and a pamphlet in the mental health buildings evaluation series, aimed at evaluating the buildings provided under the DHSS-sponsored and 663W funded Worcester development project to test a new pattern of services of the kind envisaged in the 1975 White Paper—"Better Services for the Mentally I11".
§ Mr. Irvingasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what are the most recent figures for places for the mentally ill in (a) day hospitals and (b) local authority day centres analysed by (i) region and (ii) local authority.
§ Mr. WhitneyThe most recent figures for places for mentally ill people in local authority day centres analysed by local authority were given in my reply to the hon. Member for St. Helens, South (Mr. Bermingham) on 21 February at columns392–394. The numbers of places in National Health Service mental illness day hospitals are given in the table by regional health authority.
Places in NHS mental illness day hospitals on 31 December 1985 Regional health authority Number England 17,887 Northern 1,069 Yorkshire 1,186 Trent 1,700 East Anglian 434 North-West Thames 1,278 North-East Thames 1,487 South-East Thames 1,051 South-West Thames 1,279 Wessex 1,031 Oxford 613 South Western 1,048 West Midlands 2,089 Mersey 876 North-Western 2,601 Special Health Authorities 145
§ Mr. Irvingasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will initiate an inquiry into the causes of high readmission rates among patients admitted to hospital annually with a diagnosis of schizophrenic psychosis.
§ Mr. WhitneySchizophrenia is an illness which, for many sufferers, follows an episodic pattern; periods of acute mental disturbance alternate with periods of relative well-being. It is during a period of acute disturbance that the person with schizophrenia may require admission to hospital — mainly on a voluntary basis—for intensive specialised treatment. Effective modern treatments mean that the patient is often well enough to leave within a few weeks. Understandably, most patients suffering from schizophrenia choose to spend as little time as possible in hospital, preferring to return to their own environment at the earliest opportunity and receive any further treatment on an out-patient or day-patient basis. Many experts now believe that an important part of recovery from episodes of schizophrenia is for the patient to resume the normal responsibilities of life outside hospital as soon as he is able. From the nature of the illness itself therefore and from the pattern of care now considered most appropriate it is to be expected that readmissions will often occur.
§ Mr. Irvingasked the Secretary of State for Social Services when the study of bed usage in district general hospital psychiatric departments undertaken by the Royal College of Psychiatrists and the hospital advisory service will be available.
§ Mr. WhitneyThe study referred to was undertaken by a working party set up for the purpose by the social and community psychiatry section of the Royal College of664W Psychiatry. I understand that the college has accepted the working party's report, and that a paper based on it will be published in the next few months.
§ Mr. Irvingasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if research into the role of mental health centres in local mental health services has begun; and if there is a planned date for publication.
§ Mr. WhitneyA few studies of English mental health centres, not funded by the Department, have already been published; one by Dr. F. Hutton appeared in the British Journal of Psychiatry in 1985. However, more descriptive and evaluative research into different patterns of community-orientated psychiatric care is needed. The mental illness research liaison group considered community mental health centres at its meeting in February this year and plans to commission a full literature review. When this has been carried out the group and the Department will be better placed to decide on further research plans. In addition one particular centre has recently volunteered a draft project for an evaluative study of its work, and we are now considering whether to fund this.