§ Mr. MaddenTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what representations she has received about a proposal to establish a secure unit at Lynfield Mount hospital in Bradford; in what circumstances she would be asked to decide whether the unit be established; and if she will make a statement;
(2) what information has been received from Bradford community health trust about a proposal to establish a secure unit at Lynfield Mount hospital in Bradford; who would fund such a unit; and what is the estimated cost; and what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the consultative document issued by the trust and Bradford health authority concerning this unit with respect to enabling the public to form a judgment.
§ Mr. YeoMy Department has provisionally approved a proposal submitted by the Yorkshire regional health authority to establish a 22-place secure ward at Lynfield Mount hospital. The estimated capital cost of £329,000 has been made available to the trust as part of its external finance limit. Any new building will require planning permission from the local authority and the application would be available for public scrutiny under the planning procedures. The hon. Member may wish to raise any questions about the consultative document in the first instance with Bradford health authority.
§ Mr. MaddenTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what powers are available to refer persons suffering from mental illness to secure accommodation; and how far these powers vary according to whether the person is(a) a voluntary patient and (b) a sectioned patient;
(2) if she will list the secure units located in Yorkshire to which people suffering from mental illness are referred; who has powers to refer persons to such units; which such persons or bodies have the power to refer in cases where the medical management of a secure unit may believe such referral is medically inappropriate; and if she will make a statement.
§ Mr. YeoYorkshire regional health authority has available within its boundary 44 medium secure places at Newton Lodge, Wakefield; 28 interim medium secure places at De La Pole hospital, Hull; 16 interim medium secure places at High Royds hospital, Ilkley, and 14 places in a locked facility at Storthes Hall, Huddersfield.
Patients may be referred to such units from a variety of sources. Patients in medium secure units will usually be detained under the Mental Health Act 1983, although it is possible for a unit to accept a patient who is not detained.
Section 2 of the Mental Health Act 1983 allows a person to be detained for up to 28 days for assessment. Section 3 of the Act provides for detention for treatment for a mental disorder. The application for admission for assessment or treatment under these sections must be made either by an approved social worker or the nearest relative and supported by the written recommendation of two registered medical practitioners.
A court may make a hospital order under section 37 of the Act and may impose restrictions on discharge under section 41. Courts may also remand a suspected offender to hospital for assessment (section 35) or medical treatment (section 36), or make an interim hospital order (section 38) so that a person's response to treatment can be assessed before the court makes a final decision. In all 385W these cases, the court's decision would be based on the recommendation of two medical practitioners, one of whom must be approved by the Secretary of State under section 12 of the Act.
If a person is serving a sentence of imprisonment and is considered to need treatment in hospital, the Home Secretary may, on the recommendation of two medical practitioners, direct transfer to hospital under section 47 of the Act. Section 48 provides similarly for the transfer of remand and certain other prisoners. The Home Secretary may also, if he thinks fit, direct that a transferred prisoner be subject to restrictions on discharge under section 49 of the Act.
"Sectioned" is a colloquial term for patients who are compulsorily admitted to hospital under the Act. Voluntary patients, unlike those who are detained, are free to leave hospital as they choose.
§ Mr. MaddenTo ask the Secretary of State for health how much Bradford health authority has spent in each of the past five years, to date, in referring patients to secure units(a) within Yorkshire and (b) in other places; and what difficulty the authority has experienced in finding suitable places.
§ Mr. MaddenTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what proposals have been received from Bradford health authority for the establishment of a secure unit at Westwood hospital in Bradford.
§ Mr. YeoI am aware of proposals to close Westwood hospital and transfer the majority of its residents to places in the community. I understand that the proposals include the provision of a newly converted building on the hospital site for the few remaining residents. I am not aware of any proposals to establish a secure unit on the site.
§ Mr. MaddenTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions have been held with Yorkshire regional health authority about the number of secure unit places for those suffering from mental illness in Yorkshire.
§ Mr. YeoThe Department has held periodic discussions with Yorkshire regional health authority on its future plans for psychiatric provision in the region and related issues. In addition, all regions were required last year to produce an assessment of need for secure services for their populations. A further assessment of needs is being conducted this year.
Total number of ordinary admissions and day cases to hospitals in the Thames regional health authorities–1982 to 1991–92 North West Thames North East Thames South East Thames South West Thames ORDINARY ADMISSIONS Discharges and deaths 1982 394,415 512,655 461,394 315,210 1983 408,474 526,398 477,283 329,334 1984 415,559 534,760 487,772 338,587 1985 418,753 541,080 501,557 344,430 1986 419,008 530,372 495,246 347,089 1987–88 421,582 527,585 504,666 351,932 1988–89 416,153 521,291 487,815 344,259 Finished consultant episodes1 1988–89 462,539 588,983 546,047 394,860 1989–90 473,930 606,278 541,962 387,551 1990–91 451,470 601,136 542,829 384,618 1991–92 463,146 622,399 562,614 411,081