HC Deb 08 July 1952 vol 503 cc85-6W
Mr. Braine

asked the Minister of Health the total number of beds set aside for mental defectives in each hospital region in England and Wales at the latest convenient date; the number of such beds occupied; and the number of persons awaiting admission, showing, separately, adults and children.

Mr. Iain Macleod

The figures are given in the table below. Column 2

Region Recognised bed space for mental defectives Beds in wards not in use Number of patients occupying beds Number awaiting admission
Adults Children
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6)
1. Newcastle … … 1,733 — 2,428 483 425
2. Leeds … … 2,892 144 3,098 254 250
3. Sheffield … … 3,530 52 3,647 700 517
4. East Anglian … … 1,020 — 1,163 261 196
5. N.W. Metropolitan … … 4,648 366 4,194 168 373
6. N.E. Metropolitan … … 2,499 — 2,721 192 236
7. S.E. Metropolitan … … 4,377 546 3,604 155 223
8. S.W. Metropolitan … … 6,318 208 7,432 407 238
9. Oxford … … 1,557 17 1,523 82 150
10. Southwestern … … 5,484 77 5,803 98 146
11. Wales … … 1,590 70 1,547 699 312
12. Birmingham … … 4,478 89 5,016 134 375
13. Manchester … … 5,923 498 6,095 258 342
14. Liverpool … … 382 67 470 156 240
Total … … 46,431 2,134 48,742 4,047 4,023

moor and Houghton-le-Spring for each month commencing with February, 1952, to date.

Sir W. Monckton

The following table gives the information desired:

shows how many beds ought to be provided, on standard, in space available; column 3 shows the number of beds which could be made available if staff could be found for them; this shortage of staff exacerbates the overcrowding; column 4 shows the number of beds actually in use. The waiting list figures are taken from returns from local health authorities, whose areas sometimes fall in more than one region; in the latter cases the lists have been apportioned to regions in ratio of the populations of the local authority areas.