§ Mr. Dubsasked the Secretary of' State for Social Services how many hospitals have been (a) closed arid (b) partially closed; and how many beds are affected under the care in the community programme in each of the following categories: (i) mentally ill, (ii) mentally handicapped and (iii) elderly.
§ Mrs. CurrieInformation is not available in exactly the form requested. The table gives figures for approvals, following public consultation, of hospital closures given since the beginning of 1983, the year in which the Department's "Care in the Community Initiative" was launched. Records are not held centrally of the dates on which closures so approved are implemented; actual closures since 1983 have included some approved before then and some of the approvals recorded in the table may not yet have been implemented. There are a number of reasons why hospital beds are closed and not all of the approvals recorded in the table were consequent upon the development of community based facilities. Indeed, in many cases in the geriatric and psychiatric services, beds in new units are replacing those closed.
91W
Number of hospitals Number of beds affected in these hospitals (a) Approvals for total closure given since 1 January 1983 Mental illness 14 2,199 Mental handicap 16 912 Geriatric 35 2,852 Other hospitals in which there were mental illness, mental handicap or geriatric beds 13 1,135 (b) Approvals for partial closure given since 1 January 1983 Mental illness 6 354 Mental handicap 3 196 Geriatric 1 80 Other hospitals in which there were mental illness, mental handicap or geriatric beds 5 254