§ Mr. Edgeasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many mental patients have been discharged from hospital to unregistered hostels and hotels.
§ Dr. OwenIn 1974, the last year for which information is available, there were 3,016 recorded discharges from mental illness hospitals and units and 304 from mental handicap hospitals and units to mental nursing homes, convalescent and after-care homes and local authority residential accommodation, but my information does not show how many of these were to unregistered hostels or homes. Separate information on discharges to other types of non-hospital accommodation is not available.
§ Mr. Parkinsonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services when the detailed guidance on the design of homes, hostels 13W and day centres for the mentally ill in England and Wales will be published.
§ Mr. Parkinsonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the official definition of the terms an area of "average need" and "high need" when applied to the provision of hostels for the mentally ill in England and Wales.
§ Dr. OwenIn suggesting provisional guidelines for levels of local authority day and residential services for the mentally ill, DHSS Circular 35/72 asked authorities to discuss with the then hospital authorities the needs of each health district. It was suggested that higher than average needs might be found associated with high suicide and attempted suicide rates, high delinquency rates, multi-occupied housing and poor environmental conditions generally. But the level of need in a particular area can only be fully determined in the light of local knowledge and experience. I am sending the hon. Member a copy of the Circular.
§ Mr. Parkinsonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) how many of the 31 local authorities in England and Wales which in March 1974 had no residential accommodation for the mentally ill have subsequently commenced provision;
(2) how many of the 63 local authorities in England and Wales which in March 1974 had no day facilities for the mentally ill have subsequently commenced provision.
§ Dr. OwenReorganisation prevents pre- and post-1st April 1974 comparison of the number of local authorities.
On 31st March 1975 of the 108 local authorities in England nine had no residential accommodation and 27 no daycare facilities for the mentally ill. Detailed Questions about comparable facilities for Wales should be addressed to my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.
§ Mr. Parkinsonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the equivalent full-time number of consultant 14W psychiatrists with clinical responsibility for the menally ill in mental hospitals in England and Wales for the years 1970. 1971, 1972, 1973 and 1974.
§ Dr. OwenThe figures are as follows:
Year Number (Whole-time Equivalent) 1970 … … … … 760 1971 … … … … 800 1972 … … … … 851 1973 … … … … 920 1974 … … … … 990
§ Mr. Parkinsonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what percentage of the total number of day centre places for the mentally ill in England and Wales have been provided by the voluntary organisations in each year since 1962.
§ Dr. OwenThe percentage of day centre places for the mentally ill provided in voluntary centres and available to local authorities in England and Wales in each year since 1966 was as follows:
December 1966 … … … 9.0 December 1967 … … … 7.8 December 1968 … … … 8.9 December 1969 … … … 10.4 December 1970 … … … 9.7 March 1972 … … … 9.0 March 1973 … … … 13.2 March 1974 … … … 14.4 March 1975 … … … 8.9 Comparable information for years prior to 1966 is not available.
§ Mr. Parkinsonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what percentage of the total number of residential homes and hostels for the mentally ill in England and Wales have been provided by the voluntary organisations in each year since 1962.
§ Dr. OwenThe percentage of the total number of residential places provided in homes and hostels for the mentally ill by private and voluntary organisations in England and Wales in each year since 1967 was as follows:
December 1967 … … 32.9 December 1968 … … 34.5 December 1969 … … 37.5 December 1970 … … 35.6 March 1972 … … 34.3 March 1973 … … 35.0 March 1974 … … 37.0 March 1975 … … 34.3 Comparable information for places in earlier years and for the number of homes 15W prior to 1975—when the percentage was 21—is not available.
§ Mr. Parkinsonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many local general hospitals in England and Wales do not possess specialist psychiatric services.
§ Dr. OwenThe information requested is not readily available, but I am having it extracted and I shall circulate it in theOfficial Report as soon as possible.
§ Mr. Parkinsonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether she has any evidence of the number of chronic mental patients in England and Wales being discharged from hospital without
From Mental Illness Hospitals and Units From Mental Handicap Hospitals and Units Total Number of Discharges 172,031 12,586 To psychiatric bed in: Hospital 5,125 1,191 Mental Nursing Home 164 44 Convalescent or After-Care Home 371 45 Local Authority Residential Accommodation 2,644 234 Probationary Discharge Leave 423 147 Guardianship 216 617 Day Patient Care 14,864 718 Day Patient Care and Local Authority Social Services Care 449 127 Day Patient Care and other psychiatric after-care 229 3 Out-Patient Care 75,399 534 Out-Patient Care and Local Authority Social Services Care 4,524 352 Out-Patient Care and other psychiatric care 984 3 Local Authority Social Services Care 6,386 4,959 Local Authority Social Services and Other Psychiatric After-Care 327 15 Other Psychiatric After-Care 3,640 223 Non-psychiatric hospital treatment 5,106 229 Absconded whilst subject to detention under the Mental Health Act 104 37 Discharged against medical advice 8,302 128 No details given 3,517 687 None of the above 39,257 2,293 It is thought that most of those in the category "None of the above" are referred to their General Medical Practitioner.
§ Mr. Parkinsonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many admissions there have been to mental hospital in England and Wales in the years 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973 and 1974 for personality and behaviour disorders.
§ Dr. OwenThe information is as follows for admissions to psychiatric hospitals and units in England and Wales—including teaching hospitals:
16W
1970 … … … 16,951 1971 … … … 17,469 1972 … … … 17,973 adequate arrangements being made for after care.
§ Dr. OwenThe Mental Health Inquiry gives information about arrangements made for further care after discharge from hospital, but by its nature this cannot indicate the adequacy of the after-care arrangements in each case.
The following table gives the information recorded for England and Wales in 1974. I regret that the information further categorised by length of stay is not readily available: but of the total number of discharges from mental illness hospitals and units, 148,728 had been in hospital for less than three months, and 6,598 for one year or over. In mental handicap, the relevant numbers were 9,207 and 2,491 respectively.
1973 … … … 17,895 1974 … … … 18,296
§ Mr. Parkinsonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if she will specify the number of large mental hospitals in England and Wales still below the minimum standard for domestic staffing set by her Department for achievement by March 1973.
§ Dr. OwenOn 30th September 1974, the most recent date for which information is available, 25 of the 92 mental 17W illness hospitals in England and Wales with 500 or more beds were below the recommended standard for domestic staffing.