§ 27. Mr. Budgenasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what steps he has taken to encourage the removal of mentally handicapped children from National Health Service hospitals.
§ Mr. RossiMy concern is that every mentally handicapped child should receive the help appropriate to his or her needs. The steps we are taking are designed to achieve this. For the small number of children who need continuous residential health care, we are encouraging health authorities to provide small homely units in the community; and £3 million of additional funds is being made available in each of the three years 1983–84 to 1985–86 to help health authorities with special problems. There is every reason to expect a good response to this initiative. Regional health authorities are being asked to monitor district progress in identifying and reviewing jointly with local authorities the needs of mentally handicapped children in their hospitals, and to report progress for the annual reviews with Ministers that we have established.
For children in need of residential care whose needs can be met by voluntary organisations or local authorities, with health service support where appropriate, we have taken other steps. These include an allocation of £1 million to match money raised by voluntary bodies to care for mentally handicapped children in the community. Several schemes have already been approved and more are in the pipeline. In addition, changes in the joint finance rules will boost local authority or voluntary body care, and £15 million of joint finance funds is being centrally reserved over the next five years for pilot projects of community care which are likely to include schemes involving mentally handicapped children.
There are now fewer than 2,000 mentally handicapped children in hospital, compared with 3,287 at the end of 1978, and I am confident that the measures I have outlined will help to bring about a better pattern of care, including flexible support for children living in their own homes.