§ Dr. FoxTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of the hospital budget has been spent on mental health services in each year since 1997. [127333]
§ Ms Rosie WintertonMental health services are provided across a spectrum of hospital and community services, including staff, teams and beds in hospital as well as other settings. Separate data relating to the proportion of hospital budgets alone spent on mental health are not kept. I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Braintree (Mr. Hurst) on 15 July 2003,Official Report, column 227W, concerning spending on mental health care as a percentage of total hospital and community health service expenditure.
§ Dr. FoxTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will establish an independent inquiry into the treatment of mental health patients from ethnic minority groups. [127361]
§ Ms Rosie WintertonWe do not consider it necessary to hold an independent inquiry into the treatment of mental health patients from ethnic minority groups.
However, the Department of Health acknowledges that mental health services are not currently fully meeting the needs of people from black and minority ethnic groups and has an extensive programme of work under way and plans that aim to address this issue.
Further information is available from: www.nimhe.org.uk about our programme of current work.
§ Dr. FoxTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the accessibility of mental health services to ethnic minority groups. [127362]
§ Ms Rosie WintertonAs part of issuing the report, "Inside Outside", the Department funded a series of consultation events with the black, south Asian, Chinese and Irish communitiee, to help inform further work on black and minority ethnic mental health. Feedback from groups and from a questionnaire includes their view on accessibility of mental health services. The feedback will be made available and will help to inform the final guidance document to services on black and minority ethnic mental health. The guidance document will be issued for consultation later this year.
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§ Dr. FoxTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients have received electro-convulsive therapy in each of the last five years, broken down by(a) men, (b) women and (c) ethnic minority group. [127363]
§ Ms Rosie WintertonThe latest information available on electro-convulsive therapy (ECT) is that contained in the Department of Health's publication, "Statistical Bulletin Electro Convulsive Therapy: Survey Covering the Period from January 2002 to March 2002, England". This was a follow-up to an earlier survey of the period January to March 1999. Both surveys were undertaken to provide data on ECT that are not currently available elsewhere.
The 2002 survey confirmed the continuing downward trend in the number of administrations of ECT. It collected information from national health service and independent sector care settings, including nursing homes, on the total number of administrations of ECT in NHS and independent sector care settings including data on sex, age ethnicity, legal status and method of consent. It found that in the period January to March 2002:
2,300 patients received ECT treatment compared to 2,800 in 1999;there were 700 male patients receiving treatment, compared with 1,600 female patients;there were 12,800 administrations of ECT compared to 16,500 in January to March 1999;the ethnic group with the highest number of patients receiving ECT treatment was 'white', that is white British, Irish or from other white background, with 1,800 of the 2,300 who received ECT treatment;the ethnic group with the lowest number of patients receiving ECT treatment was the 'multi-ethnic origin' group with six of the 2,300 who received ECT treatment. However, the rates for this and some other ethnic groups were based on very small numbers of patients; andthe spread of the ECT patients among the various ethnic groups was broadly similar to the spread seen in the general population. However, it should be noted the ethnicity category 'not stated' accounted for 18 per cent. of all ECT patients in this survey, more than twice the rate in the 1999 survey. Comparing only those patients receiving ECT whose ethnic origin was reported, 96 per cent. were white, similar to the results from the 1999 survey. However, the proportion of the general population who are white is slightly down to 91 per cent. compared with 92.7 per cent. in 1999. Further information on the ethnicity of ECT patients can be found in Table 8 of the 2002 Survey.Copies of the 2002 Survey and the earlier 1999 Survey are available in the Library or can be downloaded from the Department of Health's website at: http://www.doh.gov.uk/public/work_health_care.htm#menthealth
§ Tim LoughtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what action he plans to take over the next 12 months to improve the services for(a) ethnic minorities, (b) homeless people and (c) asylum seekers with mental health difficulties. [127576]
§ Ms Rosie WintertonThe Department is continuously seeking to improve mental health services for all, including vulnerable groups such as black and minority ethnic groups, the homeless and asylum seekers with mental health problems.
For black and minority ethnic groups, following the issue of "Inside Outside" earlier this year, the Department will be issuing draft guidance to services 211W on black and minority ethnic mental health for consultation. This will be in conjunction with a major work programme initiated by the National Institute for Mental Health in England for black and minority ethnic mental health service users.
Information from the adult mental health services mapping database shows that there were 66 homeless mental health teams, including homeless mentally ill initiative teams, in England in March 2003. Further details of these teams are available at http://www.dur.ac.uk/service.mapping/amh2002/queries/.
§ Mr. FlookTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been spent on mental health provision in Somerset in each year since 1997. [127822]
§ Ms Rosie WintertonFigures are not held by English county. The table shows expenditure on mental illness by Somerset health authority and primary care trusts within Somerset.
Somerset health authority area mental illness expenditure £000 1997–98 23,273 1998–99 25,431 1999–2000 28,473 2000–01 31,969 2001–02 51,581 Notes:
1. Expenditure relates to the commissioning of secondary care mental illness only.
2. Mental illness expenditure includes expenditure by the health authority and primary care trusts on behalf of other NHS bodies. This is a particular factor in the increase between 2000–01 to 2001–02 for Somerset.
Sources:
Health authority audited accounts 1997–98 to 1998–99.
Health authority audited summarisation forms 1999–2000 to 2001–02.
Primary care trust audited summarisation schedules 2000–01 and 2001–02.
§ Tim LoughtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what mental health facilities exist for asylum seekers in(a) Bedfordshire and Luton Community NHS Trust, (b) Black County Mental Health NHS Trust, (c) Buckinghamshire NHS Trust, (d) Camden and Islington Mental Health and Social Care Trust, (e) Central and North West London Mental Health NHS Trust, (f) Community Health Sheffield NHS Trust, (g) Cornwall Partnership NHS Trust, (h) Derbyshire Mental Health Services NHS Trust, (i) East London and the City Mental Health NHS Trust, (j) East Sussex County Healthcare NHS Trust, (k) Lancashire Care NHS Trust, (l) Leeds Mental Health Teaching NHS Trust, (m) Newcastle, North Tyneside and Northumberland Mental Health, (n) Norfolk Mental Health Care Trust, (o) Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Trust, (p) Pennine Care NHS Trust, (q) Somerset Partnership NHS and Social Care Trust, (r) South Birmingham Mental Health NHS Trust, (s) South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust, (t) South West Yorkshire Mental Health NHS Trust, (u) Surrey Hampshire Borders NHS Trust, (v) Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust and (w) Tees and North East Yorkshire NHS Trust; and what plans are in place to improve facilities in these trusts in 2004–05; [127968]
212W(2) what facilities exist for ethnic minorities with mental health difficulties in (a) Bedfordshire and Luton Community NHS Trust, (b) Black County Mental Health NHS Trust, (c) Buckinghamshire NHS Trust, (d) Camden and Islington Mental Health and Social Care Trust, (e) Central and North West London Mental Health NHS Trust, (f) Community Health Sheffield NHS Trust, (g) Cornwall Partnership NHS Trust, (h) Derbyshire Mental Health Services NHS Trust, (i) East London and the City Mental Health NHS Trust, (j) East Sussex County Healthcare NHS Trust, (k) Lancashire Care NHS Trust, (l) Leeds Mental Health Teaching NHS Trust, (m) Newcastle, North Tyneside and Northumberland Mental Health, (n) Norfolk Mental Health NHS Trust, (o) Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Trust, (p) Pennine Care NHS Trust, (q) Somerset Partnership NHS and Social Care Trust, (r) South Birmingham Mental Health NHS Trust, (s) South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust, (t) South West Yorkshire Mental Health NHS Trust, (u) Surrey Hampshire Borders NHS Trust, (v) Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust and (w) Tees and North East Yorkshire NHS Trust and what plans are in place for 2004–05 to improve facilities for ethnic minorities. [127979]
§ Ms Rosie WintertonData are not available in the requested format.
The Department is continuously seeking to improve mental health services for all, including vulnerable groups such as black and minority ethnic groups, the homeless and asylum seekers with mental health problems.
For black and minority ethnic groups, following the issue of "Inside Outside" earlier this year, the Department will be issuing draft guidance to services on black and minority ethnic mental health for consultation. This will be in conjunction with a major work programme initiated by the National Institute for Mental Health in England for black and minority ethnic mental health service users.
Results of the adult mental health services mapping exercise, which provides detailed information on the numbers, functioning and composition of services by local implementation team and strategic health authority boundaries, are available at hhtp://www.dur.ac.uk/service.mapping/amh/index.php.
§ Tim LoughtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health, (1) how many early intervention teams have been established in(a) Bedfordshire and Luton Community NHS Trust, (b) Black County Mental Health NHS Trust, (c) Buckinghamshire NHS Trust, (d) Camden and Islington Mental Health and Social Care Trust, (e) Central and North West London Mental Health Trust, (f) Community Health Sheffield NHS Trust, (g) Cornwall Partnership NHS Trust, (h) Derbyshire Mental Health Services NHS Trust, (i) East London and the City Mental Health NHS Trust, (j) East Sussex County Healthcare NHS Trust, (k) Lancashire Care NHS Trust, (l) Leeds Mental Health Teaching NHS Trust, (m) Newcastle, North Tyneside and Northumberland Mental Health, (n) Norfolk Mental Health Care Trust, (o) Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Trust, 213W (p) Pennine Care NHS Trust, (q) Somerset Partnership NHS and Social Care Trust, (r) South Birmingham Mental Health NHS Trust, (s) South West London and St. Georges Mental Health NHS Trust, (t) South West Yorkshire Mental Health NHS Trust, (u) Surrey Hampshire Borders NHS Trust, (v) Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust and (w) Tees and North East Yorkshire NHS Trust. [127973]
(2) how many mental health crisis resolution teams have been established in (a) Bedfordshire and Luton Community NHS Trust, (b) Black County Mental Health NHS Trust, (c) Buckinghamshire NHS Trust, (d) Camden and Islington Mental Health and Social Care Trust, (e) Central and North West London Mental Health NHS Trust, (f) Community Health Sheffield NHS Trust, (g) Cornwall Partnership NHS Trust, (h) Derbyshire Mental Health Services NHS Trust, (i) East London and the City Mental Health NHS Trust, (j) East Sussex County Healthcare NHS Trust, (k) Lancashire Care NHS Trust, (1) Leeds Mental Health Teaching NHS Trust, (m) Newcastle, North Tyneside and Northumberland Mental Health, (n) Norfolk Mental Health NHS Trust, (o) Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Trust, (p) Pendine Care NHS Trust, (q) Somerset Partnership NHS and Social Care Trust, (r) South Birmingham Mental Health NHS Trust, (s) South West London and St. George's Mental Health NHS Trust, (t) South West Yorkshire Mental Health NHS Trust, (u) Surrey Hampshire Borders NHS Trust, (v) Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust and (w) Tees and North East Yorkshire NHS Trust. [127977]
(3) how many mental health crisis resolution teams offer 24 hours cover in (a) Bedfordshire and Luton Community NHS Trust, (b) Black County Mental Health NHS Trust, (c) Buckinghamshire NHS Trust, (d) Camden and Islington Mental Health and Social Care Trust, (e) Central and North West London Mental Health NHS Trust, (f) Community Health Sheffield NHS Trust, (g) Cornwall Partnership NHS Trust, (h) Derbyshire Mental Health Services NHS Trust, (i) East London and the City Mental Health NHS Trust, (j) East Sussex County Healthcare NHS Trust, (k) Lancashire Care NHS Trust, (1) Leeds Mental Health Teaching NHS Trust, (m) Newcastle, North Tyneside and Northumberland Mental Health, (n) Norfolk Mental Health NHS Trust, (o) Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Trust, (p) Pennine Care NHS Trust, (q) Somerset Partnership NHS and Social Care Trust, (r) South Birmingham Mental Health NHS Trust, (s) South West London and St. George's Mental Health NHS Trust, (t) South West Yorkshire Mental Health NHS Trust, (u) Surrey Hampshire Borders NHS Trust, (v) Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust and (w) Tees and North East Yorkshire NHS Trust. [127978]
§ Ms Rosie WintertonData are not available in the requested format.
Results of the adult mental health services mapping exercise, which provides detailed indormation on the numbers, functioning and composition of crisis resolution and early intervention teams by local implementation team and strategic health authority boundaries, are available at www.dur.ac.uk/service.mapping/amh/index.php.
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§ Tim LoughtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what facilities exist for homeless people with mental health needs in(a) Bedfordshire and Luton Community NHS Trust, (b) Black County Mental Health NHS Trust, (c) Buckinghamshire NHS Trust, (d) Camden and Islington Mental Health and Social Care Trust, (e) Central and North West London Mental Health NHS Trust, (J) Community Health Sheffield NHS Trust, (g) Cornwall Partnership NHS Trust, (h) Derbyshire Mental Health Services NHS Trust, (i) East London and the City Mental Health NHS Trust, (j) East Sussex County Healthcare NHS Trust, (k) Lancashire Care NHS Trust, (1) Leeds Mental Health Teaching NHS Trust, (m) Newcastle, North Tyneside and Northumberland Mental Health, (n) Norfolk Mental Health NHS Trust, (o) Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Trust, (p) Pennine Care NHS Trust, (q) Somerset Partnership NHS and Social Care Trust, (r) South Birmingham Mental Health NHS Trust, (s) South West London and St. George's Mental Health NHS Trust, (t) South West Yorkshire Mental Health NHS Trust, (u) Surrey Hampshire Borders NHS Trust, (v) Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust and (w) Tees and North East Yorkshire NHS Trust; and what plans are in place to improve facilities for the homeless in 2004–05. [127974]
§ Ms Rosie WintertonData are not available in the requested format.
The Department of Health provides services for rough sleepers with mental illness through the homeless mentally ill initiative. 32 local authorities will continue to receive support.
It may also be helpful to know that the adult mental health services mapping database shows that there were 66 homeless mental health teams, including homeless mentally ill initiative teats, in England in March 2003. Further details of these teams are available at http://www.dur.ac.uk/service.mapping/amh2002/queries/
§ Tim LoughtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health whether there are women-only mental health services in(a) Bedfordshire and Luton Community NHS Trust, (b) Black County Mental Health NHS Trust, (c) Buckinghamshire NHS Trust, (d) Camden and Islington Mental Health and Social Care Trust, (e) Central and North West London Mental Health NHS Trust, (f) Community Health Sheffield NHS Trust, (g) Cornwall Partnership NHS Trust, (h) Derbyshire Mental Health Services NHS Trust, (i) East London and the City Mental Health NHS Trust, (j) East Sussex County Healthcare NHS Trust, (k) Lancashire Care NHS Trust, (1) Leeds Mental Health Teaching NHS Trust, (m) Newcastle, North Tyneside and Northumberland Mental Health, (n) Norfolk Mental Health Care NHS Trust, (o) Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Trust, (p) Pennine Care NHS Trust, (q) Somerset Partnership NHS and Social Care Trust, (r) South Birmingham Mental Health NHS Trust, (s) South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust, (t) South West Yorkshire Mental Health NHS Trust, (u) Surrey Hampshire Borders NHS Trust, (v) Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust and (w) Tees and North East Yorkshire NHS Trust. [127975]
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§ Ms Rosie WintertonData are not available in the requested format.
Results of the adult mental health services mapping exercise contains information on women-only services and is available at http://www.dur.ac.uk/service.mapping/amh/index.php.
§ Tim LoughtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the level of provision of child and adolescent mental health services in(a) Bedfordshire and Luton Community NHS Trust, (b) Black County Mental Health NHS Trust, (c) Buckinghamshire NHS Trust, (d) Camden and Islington Mental Health and Social Care Trust, (e) Central and North West London Mental Health NHS Trust, (f) Community Health Sheffield NHS Trust, (g) Cornwall Partner ship NHS Trust, (h) Derbyshire Mental Health Services NHS Trust, (i) East London and the City Mental Health NHS Trust, (j) East Sussex County Healthcare NHS Trust, (k) Lancashire Care NHS Trust., (l) Leeds Mental Health Teaching NHS Trust, (m) Newcastle, North Tyneside and Northumberland Mental Health, (n) Norfolk Mental Health NHS Trust, (o) Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Trust, (p) Pennine Care NHS Trust, (q) Somerset Partnership NHS and Social Care Trust, (r) South Birmingham Mental Health NHS Trust, (s) South West London and St. George's Mental Health NHS Trust, (t) South West Yorkshire Mental Health NHS Trust, (u) Surrey Hampshire Borders NHS Trust, (v) Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust and (w) Tees and North East Yorkshire NHS Trust. [127976]
§ Dr. LadymanSystematic mapping of local child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) provision across England was launched last year and it is intended to repeat this annually. This will provide detailed information on service provision, service activity levels and expenditure on CAMHS by provider trust and by local authority and primary care trust commissioners. Data currently available can be found on the dedicated website at www.dur.ac.uk/service.mapping/CAMH/.
The Government's strategy for the development of CAMHS, initiated in 1999, has made significant progress in improving the overall quality and accessibility of local services for children and young people with mental health problems. Our current central investment programme of £250 mil lion over the coming three years aims to help secure comprehensive CAMH in all areas by 2006 in line with the objectives contained in "Improvement, Expansion, Reform—the Priorities and Planning Framework 2003/2006" published by the Department in October 2002.
§ Tim LoughtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will provide a breakdown of expenditure on mental health provision in each health authority/PCT area in England in each year since 1990. [127985]
§ Ms Rosie WintertonBreakdown of expenditure on commissioning of secondary care mental illness services from 1992–93 to 2001–02, which is the latest year for which figures are available, has been placed in the Library. Data are not available for 1990–91 and 1991–92 data have not been included because of concerns over its quality.
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§ Tim LoughtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many primary care mental health workers have been employed by(a) West Sussex Health and Social Care NHS Trust and (b) all mental health trusts; [127549]
(2) how many primary care mental health workers are employed by (a) Bedfordshire and Luton Community NHS Trust, (b) Black County Mental Health NHS Trust, (c) Buckinghamshire NHS Trust, (d) Camden and Islington Mental Health and Social Care Trust, (e) Central and North West London Mental Health NHS Trust, (f) Community Health Sheffield NHS Trust, (g) Cornwall Partnership NHS Trust, (h) Derbyshire Mental Health Services NHS Trust, (i) East London and the City Mental Health NHS Trust, (j) East Sussex County Healthcare NHS Trust, (k) Lancashire Care NHS Trust, (l) Leeds Mental Health Teaching NHS Trust, (m) Newcastle, North Tyneside and Northumberland Mental Health, (n) Norfolk Mental Health Care Trust, (o) Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Trust, (p) Pennine Care NHS Trust, (q) Somerset Partnership NHS and Social Care Trust, (r) South Birmingham Mental Health NHS Trust, (s) South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust, (t) South West Yorkshire Mental Health NHS Trust, (u) Surrey Hampshire Borders NHS Trust, (v) Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust and (w) Tees and North East Yorkshire NHS Trust. [127969]
§ Ms Rosie WintertonThe NHS Plan set out that one thousand new graduate primary care workers trained in brief therapy techniques of proven effectiveness will be recruited to help general practitioners manage and treat common mental health problems. The target date set for local services through priorities and planning guidance is December 2004; training courses have just been established and arrangements to monitor recruitment are currently in hand. This means that the information requested about the employment by specialist trusts of new graduate workers is not yet available.
However, it may be helpful to point out that our guidance for local services on recruitment suggests primary care trusts, rather than specialised trusts, are likely to be the lead employers. A copy of this guidance may be found on the Department's web site at www.doh.gov.uk/mentalhealth.
§ Tim LoughtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what improvements the Government is planning for mental health services in England. [127550]
§ Ms Rosie WintertonThe Government's agenda for modernising mental health services in England includes a modern service framework, which sets national standards for the delivery of modern services; a thorough review of the legislative basis for mental health care to reflect modern patterns of treatment and care; and significant additional investment of over £300 million to support the delivery of these targets and services.
More detailed information about the mental health modernisation programme can be found on our website at www.doh.gov.uk/mentalhealth. However, to summarise briefly, the programme includes action to reduce suicide rate and deaths by undetermined causes by 20 per cent. by 2010; reduce the duration of untreated 217W psychosis to a service median of less than three months, (individual maximum less than six months) and providing support for the first three years for all young people who develop a first episode of psychosis by 2004; offer 24-hour crisis resolution to all eligible patients by 2005; deliver assertive outreach to the 20,000 adult patients with severe mental illness and complex problems who regularly disengage from services by December 2003; increase breaks available for carers and strengthening carer support and networks to the benefit nationally of approximately 165,000 carers of people on the care programme approach by 2004; improve mental health care in prisons so that all prisoners with severe mental illness have a care plan by April 2004 (approximately 5,000 prisoners nationally) and ensure appropriate use of secure and forensic facilities by 2004, contributing to the national target of moving 400 patients from high secure hospitals by 2004.
The Department aims to expand the mental health workforce by employing 1,000 new graduate workers in primary care, 500 community mental health "Gateway" workers, 700 more staff to support carers, 300 prison in-reach staff, 400 staff to support secure step-down by 2004; and 300 extra prison in-reach staff, 500 community development workers for black and minority ethnic communities, 200 staff and six outreach teams for personality disorder and training of 3,000 support, time, recovery, "STR" workers by 2006.
The Department aims to expand the mental health workforce by employing 1,000 new graduate workers in primary care, 500 community mental health "Gateway" workers, 700 more staff to support carers, 300 prison in-reach staff, 400 staff to support secure step-down by 2004, and 300 extra prison in-reach staff, 500 community development workers for black and minority ethnic communities, 200 staff and six outreach teams for personality disorder and training of 3,000 support, time, recovery, "STR" workers by 2006.
The Department is also committed to ensuring that, by April 2004, protocols are in place across all health and social care systems for the care and management of older people with mental health problems; and that all child and adolescent mental health services provide comprehensive service including mental health promotion and early intervention by 2006.
§ Tim LoughtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what level of funding per capita is being spent by(a) Adur, Arun and Worthing primary care trust and (b) West Sussex Health and Social Care NHS Trust on services for people with mental health difficulties in the current financial year. [127551]
§ Ms Rosie WintertonThe latest information for 2002–03 on the level of spend per capita in Adur, Arun and Worthing Primary Care Trust will be available in the autumn. Information for the current financial year is not available. The Department of Health does not collect the information requested at National Health Service trust level.
§ Tim LoughtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans for improvement his Department has for provision of respite breaks for carers of those with mental health difficulties. [127552]
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§ Ms Rosie WintertonThe NHS Plan set a target for 2004 that 700 more staff will be recruited to increase the breaks available for carers and to strengthen carer support networks. In pursuance of this target, all regular carers of people with mental health problems will have been identified, received an assessment and have their own care support plans by 2004 and local support networks for these carers will have been developed. The statutory and voluntary sectors currently provide support to carers, and the Department of Health has developed a service specification for carers; support services, including respite breaks, against which we will measure progress.
Carers' Grant, introduced in 1999, has provided an extra £225 million over the past four years to increase the number of short breaks for carers to enable them to continue in their caring role. In recognition of its importance to carers, it has been extended for a further three years to 2005–06, by which time it will be worth £185 million to provide extended care and 130,000 further breaks to carers.
Carers' grant funds can appropriately be used to provide breaks for carers of adults with mental health problems to help meet objectives set out in the mental health national service framework.
§ Lynne JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to end the use of adult mental health units for mentally ill children. [128616]
§ Dr. LadymanChildren and young people who require in-patient mental health care should receive it in a unit suitable for their age and development. This would normally be in a ward or unit designated for their age group, but in certain cases an adult ward may be a necessary short term alternative for some young people, depending upon the nature and urgency of their mental health need.
The children's national service framework (NSF) will be setting out standards for child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS). A sub-group has been established to look at the specific needs of children and young people who may require in-patient services. The recommendations of this group will help to inform the mental health component of the children's NSF.
We are also making a substantial additional investment, some £250 million over three years, to improve CAMHS. This will assist the service to meet the new capacity assumptions set out in the Department's Priorities and Planning Framework, particularly the expectation that all areas will provide a comprehensive CAMHS by 2006.