§ Dr. Roger Thomasasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will ensure that provision by local health authorities for mentally handicapped patients in the community is not at the expense of other compensatory cutbacks in other medical services such as geriatric and psychogeriatric provision.
§ Mr. Geoffrey FinsbergServices for elderly, mentally ill and mentally handicapped people are among the priorities commended to health authorities in our policy handbook 'Care in Action'. It is for the district health authorities to determine how best to deploy their resources in the light of that guidance.
The aim of the 'Care in the Community' initiative is to secure a redistribution of existing resources to provide more appropriate care for patients who do not need to be in hospital. Their move into the community will release resources tied up in unsuitable, outdated and often badly-sited buildings.