§ Mr. Juddasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether, following the 373W recent delayed discovery of the deaths of individuals living alone in urban centres, he will mount a campaign for greater co-operation between statutory and voluntary organisations in community care and for the involvement of organisations in such care which may not at present have adopted a role in this respect and secondly review the Government's policy for the reduction of the number of residential patients in psychiatric hospitals with regard to the scale of support services available in the community; and whether he will make a statement.
§ Sir K. JosephI am reviewing the facts reported in recent cases in order to see whether any general lessons emerge from them. It is, however, clear that the assistance of neighbours and other individual members of the community is essential as well as the contribution of statutory and voluntary bodies if cases of this kind are to be avoided; and it must be borne in mind that an unavoidable constraint is the willingness of the person concerned to accept help when it is offered.
On the second part of the Question I am sure that it would not be right to change our aim of a shift in balance from hospital towards community care, but this requires mutual understanding by hospital and local authorities of each other's problems, determination to work together and recognition of a realistic timescale. This is why I have given such great prominence in "Better Services for the Mentally Handicapped" and in advice about the development of mental illness services to the need for close co-operation and joint planning.