§ Mrs. BrintonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 22 March 1999,Official Report, column 3, on restraint techniques, if he will publish the figures on deaths in mental health institutions held by the Mental Health Act Commission; and if he will provide a breakdown by ethnicity. [80664]
§ Mr. HuttonThe data for the year ending 31 January 1999 on deaths of patients detained under the Mental Health Act 1983 have not yet been validated. The Mental Health Act Commission is currently in discussion with a number of academic bodies about the validation process. The Commission will then be in a position to publish the data and to provide a breakdown by ethnicity.
§ Mrs. BrintonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 22 March 1999,Official Report, column 3, on restraint techniques, what guidance his Department has issued to trusts on what constitutes appropriate staffing levels and policies. [80663]
§ Mr. HuttonWe have issued no guidance specifically in relation to restraint techniques.
Chapter 19 of the Mental Health Act 1983 Code of Practice makes clear that hospitals should have written operational policies on all forms of restraint. It is for trusts to monitor the implementation and effectiveness of these policies and to determine appropriate staffing in accordance with the needs of patients.