§ Mr. Moonmanasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will institute a national inquiry into the condition, treatment and staff-patient relations within psychiatric hospitals.
§ Mr. MoyleNo, but as my hon. Friend is aware, we have set up a high-level working group on the organisation and management problems of mental illness hospitals, which we believe are at the heart of many of the difficulties of mental illness hospitals.
§ Mr. Ridsdaleasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is his estimate of the effects of the White Paper on Public Expenditure on the psychiatric hospital building programme in north-east Essex between the present and 1979 to 1981.
§ Mr. Stephen Rossasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many general hospital psychiatric units were opened in 1976–77.
§ Mr. Ridsdaleasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many mental illness psychiatric hospitals have been closed since 1959.
§ Mr. Moonmanasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what percentage of total admissions for mental illness is now to district general hospital psychiatric units.
§ Mr. Bidwellasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he is satisfied with the rate of progress in opening general hospital psychiatric units and the rundown of psychiatric hospitals.
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§ Mr. Richard Wainwrightasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many mental illness, psychiatric, hospitals and how many mental handicap hospitals, respectively, have been closed since 1959.
§ Mr. MoyleConsiderable progress has been made in many parts of the country towards building up the new pattern of local services for the mentally ill, based on district general hospitals, which will eventually replace services based on large and isolated mental illness hospitals. In 1975, 28 per cent. of patients admitted for psychiatric treatment were admitted to general hospitals. Since 1959, 10 mental illness hospitals or units and 17 mental handicap hospitals or units have been closed and in 1976–77 six mental illness units were opened in general hospitals.
We are not yet satisfied with the rate of progress in opening general hospital psychiatric units and local units for the elderly severely mentally infirm as envisaged in the White Paper "Better Services for the Mentally Ill" (Cmnd. 6233). Progress is bound to be limited at a time when resources are limited, but we have made health authorities aware of the priority the Government attach to the development of services for the mentally ill.
§ Mr. O'Halloranasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he intends to visit any psychiatric hospitals or units in London within the next four months; and where those visits will be.
§ Mr. EnnalsSo far my programme for the next four months does not include such a visit, but arrangements are by no means completed.
§ Mr. Moonmanasked the Secretary of State for Social Services which National Health Service psychiatric and subnormality hospitals are unable to comply with fire safety regulations.
§ Mr. MoyleThere are no fire safety regulations applicable to National Health Service hospitals. Fire safety in hospitals is the subject of administrative guidance which my Department has at various times issued to assist health authorities in establishing reasonable standards of fire precautions, and it is for health authorities themselves to achieve the best standards possible within available440W resources. Details are not available centrally of standards which have been achieved in individual hospitals.