§ Mr. Alex CarlileTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients were given electro-convulsive therapy in the national health service in each year from 1990 to 1994.
§ Mr. BowisThe information requested is not held in the precise form requested, but data on finished consultant episodes where electro-convulsive therapy is given arc published in "Hospital Episodes Statistics", volume 1, finished consultant episodes by diagnosis, operation and specialty England, copies of which are available in the Library.
§ Mr. Alex CarlileTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what guidelines or protocols are in place in the national health service to prevent the misuse of electro-convulsive therapy;
(2) what guidelines or protocols are in place in respect of the use of electro-convulsive therapy for patients under 18 years of age;
(3) what guidelines or protocols are in place in the national health service to govern the use of electro-convulsive therapy for patients detained under the Mental Health Act 1983.
§ Mr. BowisSpecific guidance on professional practice is a matter for the appropriate professional body. The Royal College of Psychiatrists recently approved revised guidelines for psychiatrists on electro-convulsive therapy. These will he published shortly. The guidelines will include recommendations on the use of electro-convulsive therapy in young people. For patients detained under the Mental Health Act 1983, the Act and the code of practice published in 1993 clearly state that electro-convulsive therapy may he administered only where the patient's consent or where a second opinion is given under section 58 of the 1983 Act.