§ Mrs. MahonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will make a statement on the discovery of prescribed drugs collected by Ian Brady at Ashworth Hospital and the purposes for which they were collected; [42605]
268W(2) what assessment he has made of the current prescribing of drugs and checks on patients taking medication at Ashworth Hospital; [42606]
(3) what assessment he has made of the adequacy of procedures for the checking of items (a) coming in and (b) leaving Ashworth Hospital; [42607]
(4) what action he has taken regarding recent security breaches at Ashworth Hospital. [42604]
§ Mr. BoatengThe matters referred to are, in the first instance, the responsibility of the management of Ashworth Hospital Authority. The North West Regional Office of the National Health Service Executive (NWRO) monitors Ashworth Hospital Authority's performance of its responsibilities, and the High Security Psychiatric Services Commissioning Board (HSPSCB), which is also part of the NHS Executive, has a service agreement with Ashworth Hospital Authority relating to the type and level of services which the hospital is expected to provide.
Ashworth Hospital Authority introduced a revised security procedures manual in December 1997. The authority has arrangements in place for an ongoing audit of the manner in which the security procedures manual is being implemented across the hospital. Both the NWRO and the HSPSCB include, as part of their monitoring role, a review of the security arrangements in place at the hospital and the audit findings. Further changes to the security arrangements will be introduced if necessary.
The security procedures manual covers the checking of items coming into and leaving the hospital. This includes searches of packages and the escorting of visitors to and from the premises.
Arrangements are in place for patients to be observed while taking their medication, and an audit of drug prescribing is currently under way.
Any breach of security is investigated by the hospital, and more serious breaches are considered by the NWRO and the HSPSCB as part of their monitoring role.
Ashworth Hospital has informed the NWRO that a single tablet was found during a search of Mr. Brady's room in April this year. This is an internal matter, which hospital managers are best placed to deal with.