HC Deb 26 June 1952 vol 502 cc212-3W
90. Dr. Bennett

asked the Minister of Health if, in reaching a decision on the future of the South-West Metropolitan Region, he will bear in mind the unanimous feeling of the five mental hospitals in the western part of the region that they would best be administered with the other mental hospitals rather than with the general hospitals of any detached area.

Mr. Iain Macleod

Yes.

92. Mr. Driberg

asked the Minister of Health whether in reckoning the national average cost of maintaining a mental patient in hospital, he took into account both hospitals for the mentally ill and hospitals for the mentally deficient; and if he will give figures for these two categories separately.

Mr. Iain Macleod

The recently published costing returns for 1950–51 gave separate figures for the two types of hospital. The average cost of maintaining a patient for a week in a mental hospital was £3 15s. 11d., and in a mental deficiency institution £3 11s. 4d.

97. Mr. Hastings

asked the Minister of Health whether in view of the fact that there are approximately 4,000 mentally-deficient children needing institutional care, he will encourage regional hospital boards to secure the necessary accommodation by adaptation of existing buildings and offer them a special grant for this purpose.

Mr. Iain Macleod

Regional hospital boards are aware that funds are available for the purchase of suitable buildings; but the cost of adaptations must be met out of the ordinary regional allocations.