§ Mr. Doddsasked the Minister of Health what is the number of mental hospitals under the National Health Scheme where female patients are detained; how many have fully-qualified female hairdressers attending to the patients; and in how many the work is carried out by members of the staff who are not hairdressers.
§ Mr. Walker-Smith159. The remainder of the information asked for is not available.
§ Mr. Doddsasked the Minister of Health what is the number of mental hospitals where male patients are detained; how many of these hospitals possess fulltime hairdressers with the necessary qualifications to cut the hair of patients to a reasonable standard; and what action is being taken to improve the situation.
§ Mr. Walker-Smith152. As regards the second part of the Question this information is not available. The provision or extension of facilities for hairdressing is a matter for the responsible hospital authorities.
§ Mr. Doddsasked the Minister of Health in how many mental hospitals 324W efforts are being made to train patients in hairdressing under expert supervision, with a view to utilising their services in the hospitals and as a form of training to fit them for their return to normal life.
§ Mr. Walker-SmithI regret this information is not available.
§ Mr. Doddsasked the Minister of Health what action is being taken to improve the educational facilities in mental institutions or hospitals where young mental defective patients are detained.
§ Mr. Walker-SmithThe majority of children in mental deficiency hospitals are ineducable and therefore need training rather than education; but for the few who require educational facilities, these are available at many hospitals as part of their treatment. Any expansion is a matter for the hospital authorities concerned.
§ Mr. Doddsasked the Minister of Health if he will arrange for a review of the training facilities at mental defective hospitals with a view to improving the resources for fitting patients for normal life; and if he will consider setting up rehabilitation machinery designed to assist in settling patients in the community and reducing the likelihood of their need to return to hospital at further expense to the nation.
§ Mr. Walker-SmithFollowing the report of the Committee of Inquiry on the Rehabilitation, Training and Resettlement of Disabled Persons, I recently sent memoranda of guidance to hospital authorities and local authorities dealing with the rehabilitation and settlement of the mentally disordered.
§ Mr. Doddsasked the Minister of Health what is the number of persons who have been admitted this year as voluntary patients into mental hospitals catering for mental defectives, up to the latest convenient date.
§ Mr. Walker-SmithI assume that the hon. Member is referring to informal admissions to mental deficiency hospitals. As a result of the review which hospitals were asked to undertake last January, just over 22,000 hospital patients have been discharged from Order and readmitted 325W on an informal basis. Information about the number of new admissions on this basis is not yet available.
§ Mr. Doddsasked the Minister of Health what is the number of persons over the age of 70, 80, and 90 years, respectively, certified for the first time and admitted to designated mental hospitals since 1st January, 1957.
§ Mr. Walker-SmithThe figures for 1957 are not yet available. The numbers of older certified patients admitted to designated mental hospitals during 1956 for the first time were as follows:
Age (years) No. of patients Over 70 … … … 3,485 Over 80 … … … 1,317 Over 85 … … … 429 The figures for those over 85 are included in the figures for those over 80 and both are included in the figures for those over 70.
§ Mr. Doddsasked the Minister of Health what was the number of certified patients admitted to mental hospitals under the Lunacy Act and the Mental Deficiency Act, respectively, in 1957; and what are the comparable figures for 1950 and 1956.
§ Mr. Walker-SmithThe information is as follows:
Year Certified patients admitted to designsted mental hospitals Mentally defective patients admitted under Order to mental deficiency hospitals (1) (2) (3) 1950… 18,891 3,164 1956… 16,904 3,134 1957… 14,126 3,135 Note: Column (3) includes Rampton hospital, Moss Side Hospital and the Certified Institutions.
§ Mr. Doddsasked the Minister of Health if he will cause a survey to be taken, similar to that in 1954, to ascertain the number of patients now accommodated in mental hospitals under the Lunacy Act and the Mental Deficiency Act who could be discharged if suitable alternative accommodation with the necessary care could be made available for their welfare in the community, so that the size of the problem can be assessed.
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§ Mr. Walker-SmithI am keeping this matter in mind; but I do not think that as yet a further survey is necessary, or would serve a useful purpose at present.
§ Mr. Doddsasked the Minister of Health what was the average overcrowding in mental hospitals at the latest convenient date; and how this compares with 1956.
§ Mr. Walker-Smith11.9 per cent. in England and Wales at the end of 1957. The figure at the end of 1956 was 14 per cent.
§ Mr. Doddsasked the Minister of Health what was the number of patients who were wrongfully certified under the same section of the Mental Deficiency Act, 1913, as Kathleen Rutty, who are still retained in mental hospitals because they are unfit for discharge, and the number still detained because they have nowhere suitable to go; what action has been taken to cancel all the certification orders wrongfully imposed; and to what extent this has been done in the two categories mentioned.
§ Mr. Walker-SmithThe Court did not question the finding of the Judicial Authority that Miss Kathleen Rutty was mentally defective but held that in the particular circumstances of her case she was not liable to be dealt with under the Mental Deficiency Acts as found neglected. It is not possible to say in how many other cases the Court would so hold, because full details of the evidence given before the Judicial Authority are not reported to the Board of Control. On 12th December, 1958, 3,033 patients out of 5,035 whose cases appeared to be possibly similar to that of Miss Rutty were subject to orders made by Judicial Authorities. These Orders can only be pronounced invalid by a Court. All the patients concerned were medically certified to be mentally defective, but will be discharged if it becomes possible to do so.
§ Mr. Doddsasked the Minister of Health how many of the 1957 patients released from mental hospitals because of being wrongfully certified under the Mental Deficiency Act, 1913, have been completely discharged from certification orders; and in how many cases are such patients still on licence.
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§ Mr. Walker-SmithAll of them. The second part of the Question therefore does not arise.