§ Mr. Alfred Morrisasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many patient beds are unoccupied in psychiatric hospitals and units due to shortage of nursing staff; how many wards have had to he closed for this 153W reason in each of the last two years; how many nurses would have to be recruited and trained to correct current understaffing; if, in addition to total figures, he will give the figures for each region separately; and what action he is taking.
§ Mr. John PattenThe information requested is not held centrally.
The right hon. Member's suggestion concerning current understaffing should, however, be seen against the information in paragraph 4.52 of "The Health Service in England", which was published this year, which, among other things, showed that over five years the number of nursing staff in mental illness per 100,000 population has improved by about 22 per cent.