§ Mr. Meacherasked the Secretary of State for Social Services, pursuant to the reply of 23 January, giving the average number of available beds in National Health Service hospitals, if he will give the estimated saving to the National Health Service of cutting available beds for the mentally ill by 14.8 per cent and for the mentally handicapped by 17.1 per cent. between 1979 and 1985; and what proportion of this saving has been transferred to developing community services for the mentally-ill and handicapped for (a) children (b) adults and (c) both.
§ Mrs. Currie[pursuant to her reply, 4 February 1987, c. 701–2]: It is not possible to answer the hon. Member in the terms of his question. The reduction in the numbers of beds in NHS hospitals has been more than compensated for by patients' transference to care in the community, by the avoidance of inappropriate admissions, and by more rational use of beds.
Gross current expenditure in 1984–85 on hospital and community health services for mentally ill people is estimated to have been £1,029 million, representing an increase in real terms of some 14 per cent. over 1979–80; the comparable figure for mental handicap is £462 million, representing a real increase of 10 per cent. During this period, personal social services expenditure on residential and day care services for these groups increased by some 40 per cent. in real terms.
Health authorities have taken advantage of the fall in in-patient numbers both to improve existing hospital provision and to invest in community provision. The changes which have been taking place in services are complex and figures are not available to give an accurate overall picture distinguishing community developments as a whole, or for children and adults respectively, from other improvements. There have, for example, been increases in hospital and community based nursing staff and in the number of mentally handicapped people resident in small NHS units in the community.