Mental Health (Hansard, 22 May 2002)

§ Sandra Gidley
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many new mental health units have been built since June 2000. [58190]

§ Jacqui Smith
22 major schemes, each exceeding £2 million have been completed throughout the country and funded from public capital, with a total value exceeding £50 million. Two large private finance initiative schemes have been developed at a value of £28 million.

§ Sandra Gidley
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures are being taken to adapt older mental health units to match the criteria laid down for the building of new mental health units. [58191]

§ Jacqui Smith
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State made available funding of £30 million over two years from 2001–02 specifically for improving the physical environment in in-patient psychiatric wards.

§ Sandra Gidley
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will carry out an audit of the opinions of mental health service users in hospitals regarding mixed and single-sex wards. [58188]

§ Jacqui Smith
The Department does not intend to carry out a national audit of the opinions of mental health service users regarding mixed and single sex hospital accommodation. The Department has set clear objectives for the elimination of mixed sex accommodation in mental health settings. National health service trust boards are responsible for putting in place policies and procedures to address patient safety, privacy and dignity. The Department's guidance to trusts sets out that NHS trust chief executives should ensure that local patient surveys are considered as a means of assessing patients' and relatives' views about services and to ascertain their concerns.

§ Mr. Heald
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what benefits exercise referral schemes offer in the field of mental health treatment. [58314]

§ Jacqui Smith
[holding answer 21 May 2002]: Regular physical activity reduces the risk of depression and has positive benefits for mental health including reduced anxiety, enhanced mood and self-esteem. Existing referral schemes involve primary care professionals referring patients to facilities such as leisure centres or gyms for supervised exercise programmes. Last year, the Department published a national quality assurance framework to improve the quality of existing referral schemes and help the development of new ones.