§ Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will publish the reports of conditions in hospitals and homes for the mentally handicapped prepared by the development team for the mentally handicapped.
§ Mrs. Dunwoodyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if he will change the terms of reference of the development team for the mentally handicapped to ensure that all its reports are published routinely;
(2) if he will publish all those reports made by the development team for the mentally handicapped since its creation in 1975;
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(4) which reports from the development team for the mentally handicapped he decided should not be published; and what were his reasons in each case.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeDecisions about publication of development team reports are not taken by Ministers. The team's reports are the property of the health and local authorities who seek its advice and decisions about the availability of reports are entirely for them. We do not collect information centrally about which reports authorities have decided to make public.
§ Mrs. Dunwoodyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he had discussions with the relevant health authorities concerning conditions at (a) Whixley hospital (b) Farmfield hospital (c) Fleet hospital (d) Queen Elizabeth hospital, Banstead (e) Balderton hospital (f) Goddards Green hospital (g) Middlefield hospital and (h) Ransom hospital, following his receipt of a report from the development team for the mentally handicapped on each of these hospitals;
(2) what action he has taken on each of the reports that he has received from the development team for the mentally handicapped.
§ Mr. Terry Davisasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) whether he will meet the chairman of the West Midlands regional health authority in order to discuss the reports of the development team for the mentally handicapped on hospitals in the region;
(2) whether he had discussions with the relevant health authorities concerning conditions at (a) Coleshill Hall hospital, (b) Middlefield hospital, and (c) Over Whitacre house, following his receipt of a report from the development team for the mentally handicapped on each of these hospitals.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeMinisters have not held any discussions with the health authorities specifically on the reports mentioned and have no plans to do so.
Development team reports are made to the health and local authorities who seek the team's assistance. The authorities need to consider the reports and decide what action to take in the light of the recommendations of the team. Where urgent action is indicated, priorities should be ordered accordingly. We expect health authorities to maintain and, where possible, improve standards in mental handicap hospitals. They should also make every effort, in co-operation with the relevant local authorities, to move more people who do not need hospital care to more suitable accommodation in the community. We monitor plans and their implementation in a number of ways. Serious deficiencies in the policy of authorities may be followed up as part of the annual Ministerial reviews of regional health authorities.
§ Mrs. Dunwoodyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he has yet decided who will become the director of the development team for the mentally handicapped when the present director retires later this year.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeNo decisions have yet been made about the leadership of the Development Team when Dr. Simon retires as director.
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§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will institute an immediate inquiry into the conditions of mentally handicapped people in the institutions which were referred to in each of the reports of the development team for mentally handicapped people.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeNo useful purpose would be served by instituting an inquiry into places which have invited the team to advise them on their services and on which it has provided a report, including recommendations for improvements in services. It is for the responsible health authorities to act upon the team's recommendations.
§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many reports by the development team for mentally handicapped people have been made; how many have been published; and if he will list each report, the subject, date of completion and action taken as a result.
Mr. Kenneth ClarkThe team has made 82 reports to authorities on their mental handicap services. Information about the subjects and dates of the team's visits up to June 1981 can be found in its three published reports which are in the Library of the House. I will write to the right hon. Member about visits undertaken since then. Publication of the reports and action on them are matters for the health and local authorities who invite the Team to visit and advise on their services, and no information is collected centrally about whether individual reports have been published by authorities. In his third published report, the team's director says that follow-up visits by the team show that about half its recommendations have been implemented and most of the remainder are included in authorities' plans.
§ Mr. Terry Davisasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) when the development team for the mentally handicapped visited (a) Coleshill Hall hospital, (b) Middlefield hospital and (c) Over Whitacre house;
(2) which hospitals in the west midlands region have been visited by the development team for the mentally handicapped; and on what dates these visits took place.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeThe hospitals in the west midlands visited by the development team, and the dates on which these visits took place, are listed as follows. The team visited Over Whitacre house in October 1976 and May 1981.
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Name of hospital Date of first visit Date of follow-up visit Staffordshire Bagnall January 1980 — Strallington January 1980 — St. Edwards January 1980 — Warwickshire Abbeyfield October 1976 May 1981 Bramcote October 1976 May 1981 Chelmsley October 1976 May 1981 Coleshill Hall October 1976 May 1981 Weston October 1976 May 1981 Hereford and Worcester Lea June 1978 — Lea Castle June 1978 — Dean Hill June 1978 — West Midlands St. Margarets September 1976 June 1981 Middlefield May 1978 — Monyhill May 1978 —
§ Mr. Terry Davisasked the Secretary of State for Social Services who has been sent copies of the reports by the development team for the mentally handicapped on its visits to (a) Coleshill Hall hospital, (b) Middlefield hospital and (c) Over Whitacre house.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeCopies of the development team's reports were sent to the relevant health and social services authorities. Any further distribution of the reports was a matter for them. Our Department does have access to reports but Ministers ar not in a position to publish or distribute them.