HC Deb 02 July 1984 vol 63 cc74-9W
Mr. Nicholas Winterton

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if he will give a breakdown by region of the numbers of patients attending day-care centres offering facilities for the care of the mentally handicapped in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available;

(2) if he will give a breakdown by region of the numbers of patients receiving long-term non-residential care for permanent mental handicap in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

Mr. John Patten

[pursuant to his reply , 19 June 1984, c. 141–42]: Information is not collected centrally in precisely the form requested, but information on the number of non-residential attendances at mental handicap hospitals and units in the years 1974 to 1979 is given in the series of reports entitled "The facilities and services of mental illness and mental handicap hospitals in England", copies of which are in the Library, and the corresponding information for 1980 to 1982 is given in the table.

Information on the number of places in local authority adult training centres in the years 1974 to 1982 and on the number of persons attending these centres in the years 1974 to 1980 is published in a series of reports entitled "Adult Training Centres for the Mentally Handicapped and Day Centres for the Mentally Ill, the Elderly and the Younger Physically Handicapped", copies of which are in

Number of attendances† at mental handicap hospitals and units in England (thousands)
Regional Health Authority Out-patient clinics‡ Day Hospitals* Day patients attending main hospital
1980 1981 1982║ 1980 1981 1982║ 1980 1981 1982║
Northern 3.1 3.4 3.9 3.0 3.2 2.4 16.4 16.6 13.6
Yorkshire 0.6 0.6 0.6 Nil Nil Nil 18.4 17.6 15.1
Trent 4.3 4.3 3.6 45.2 53.6 56.8 12.9 15.6 14.2
East Anglian 2.7 3.1 3.7 Nil Nil Nil 20.3 21.3 20.1
North West Thames 3.1 3.6 3.9 11.3 11.3 11.8 4.6 4.4 5.0
North East Thames 1.4 1.4 1.7 15.4 15.6 17.3 9.2 10.6 10.1
South East Thames 0.8 1.1 0.8 5.7 6.8 8.3 10.7 9.9 10.2
South West Thames 1.7 1.3 1.9 23.5 21.4 19.9 7.8 7.2 10.2
Wessex 1.1 1.2 1.1 26.2 26.0 25.2 5.3 6.5 7.3
Oxford 6.9 5.8 5.4 9.6 9.0 9.2 9.9 11.1 11.1
South Western 3.8 3.2 3.1 1.6 Nil 0.3 21.2 21.5 23.6
West Midlands 4.8 4.7 4.9 2.8 4.1 2.4 38.0 38.1 33.6
Mersey 1.7 1.6 2.0 Nil Nil Nil 7.7 6.7 9.1
North Western 1.9 2.1 2.5 17.5 14.2 19.8 28.5 27.5 23.9
TOTAL 38.0 37.3 39.0 161.8 165.2 173.4 210.9 214.5 207.2
* Includes attendances by day patients and inpatients.
† Patients who attend more than once are counted separately for each attendance.
‡ Attendances at outpatient clinics conducted anywhere by the psychiatric medical staff of the mental handicap hospitals and units.
║ Provisional figures. Because of NHS reorganisation in 1982 some regional figures may not be directly comparable with those for earlier years.

Mr. Nicholas Winterton

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will give a breakdown by region of the numbers of patients receiving short-term nonresidential care for mental illness in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

Mr. John Patten

[pursuant to his reply, 19 June 1984, c. 141–42]: Information is not collected centrally in precisely the form requested, but information on the number of non-residential attendances at mental illness hospitals and units in the years 1974 to 1979 is given in the series of reports entitled "The facilities and services of

Table 1
Number of attendances* at mental illness hospitals and units in England
(thousands)
Regional Health Authority Out-patient clinics† Day hospitals‡ Day patients attending main hospital
1980 1981 ║1982 1980 1981 ║1982 1980 1981 ║1982
Northern 116.0 124.2 135.1 158.0 149.9 130.7 35.1 33.7 39.3
Yorkshire 106.3 117.7 108.3 155.7 176.6 173.4 93.0 89.3 81.6
Trent 130.6 126.4 131.0 172.6 196.4 204.3 90.9 97.0 106.1
East Anglian 47.5 56.1 59.6 46.7 87.9 86.7 58.3 49.7 57.8
North West Thames 136.8 138.7 133.5 155.4 162.6 138.5 38.4 41.8 37.0
North East Thames 147.3 154.1 168.6 202.9 208.9 237.3 59.2 60.7 47.3
South East Thames 133.2 132.7 130.3 144.7 163.8 166.1 48.5 49.0 39.6
South West Thames 139.8 130.4 119.1 145.7 145.6 161.8 43.6 53.0 55.2
Wessex 67.4 69.1 73.5 134.4 142.5 145.2 76.4 71.6 79.9
Oxford 67.0 72.4 74.8 56.2 58.2 63.8 121.0 124.1 123.7
South Western 79.2 76.4 75.9 131.6 136.6 136.5 113.2 120.3 109.7
West Midlands 158.4 164.7 164.0 272.2 267.1 272.5 146.2 142.3 120.6
Mersey 76.9 77.7 74.6 78.4 89.3 87.5 48.0 50.5 62.7
North Western 159.4 163.7 166.9 272.9 317.4 322.7 101.9 106.2 108.0
Special Health Authorities 48.7 47.1 49.8 7.9 9.9 16.8 10.7 10.9 11.3
Total 1,614.4 1,651.1 1,664.8 2,135.5 2,312.7 2,343.8 1,084.5 1,100.1 1,078.7
* Patients who attend more than once are counted separately for each attendance.
† Attendances at outpatient clinics conducted anywhere by the psychiatric medical staff of the mental illness hospitals and units.
‡ Includes attendances by day patients and inpatients.
║ Provisional figures. Because of NHS reorganisation in 1982 some regional figures may not be directly comparable with those for earlier years.

the Library. The available information on the number of places for each region on 31 March 1983 was included in my reply to my hon. Friend on 19 June, at column 141.

mental illness and mental handicap hospitals in England", copies of which are in the Library. The available information for the years 1980 to 1982 is given in table 1.

Information on number of places in local authority day centres for the mentally ill in the years 1974 to 1982 and on the number of persons attending these centres in the years 1974 to 1982 is published in a series of reports entitled "Adult Training Centres for the Mentally Handicapped and Day Centres for the Mentally Ill, the Elderly and the Younger Physically Handicapped", copies of which are in the Library. The available information for each social work region as at 31 March 1983 is given in table 2.

Table 2. Number of places at local authority day centres for the mentally ill in England on 31 March 1983
*Social Work Region Number
Northern 325
Yorks/Humberside 614
North Western 550
West Midlands 693
East Midlands 369
London North 110
Inner London 1,035
Outer London 862
Southern 472
South Western 129
TOTAL 5,159
* DHSS social work regions are, in general, not conterminous with regional health authorities.

Table 1—Estimated Numbers of Resident Patients in Mental lllness Hospitals and Units in England at 31 December with Length of Stay Less than One Year
Regional Health Authority 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 *1980 *1981 *1982
Northern 1,821 1,889 1,870 1,644 1,690 1,803 1,794 1,844 1,831
Yorkshire 2,386 2,426 2,432 2,260 2,206 2,235 2,245 2,169 2,178
Trent 2,370 2,299 2,314 2,418 2,468 2,526 2,456 2,633 2,575
East Anglian 955 915 977 908 981 938 1,020 1,030 1,076
North West Thames 2,357 2,276 2,202 2,117 2,162 2,103 2,050 2,132 2,045
North East Thames 2,067 2,059 2,224 2,301 2,287 2,192 2,092 2,109 2,159
South East Thames 1,968 2,001 2,194 2,151 2,141 2,135 2,205 2,178 2,187
South West Thames 2,455 2,462 2,165 1,948 1,887 1,843 2,190 1,950 1,845
Wessex 1,366 1,401 1,406 1,452 1,430 1,483 1,576 1,675 1,498
Oxford 923 862 825 807 813 767 812 829 806
South Western 1,943 1,924 1,897 1,949 1,830 1,877 1,751 1,765 1,783
West Midlands 2,612 2,641 2,527 2,569 2,599 2,572 2,502 2,571 2,387
Mersey 1,723 1,852 1,751 1,784 1,733 1,726 1,773 1,790 1,848
North Western 1,859 1,917 1,865 1,966 2,074 2,162 2,123 2,166 2,203
Boards of Governors (now Special Health Authorities) 330 348 303 295 296 294 316 311 298
TOTAL 27,135 27,272 26,952 26,569 26,597 26,656 26,905 27,152 26,719
* Figures from 1980 onwards are not directly comparable with earlier ones because of a change in the method of estimation between 1979 and 1980 and the reorganisation of the NHS from 1982. Comparable figures for 1973 are not readily available because of NHS reorganisation in 1974.

Table 2. Number of local authority supported residents in homes and hostels for the mentally ill in England at 31 March 1983
Social Work Region* Number
Northern 167
Yorks/Humberside 365
North Western 606
West Midlands 366
East Midlands 348
London North 305
Inner London 759
Outer London 861
Southern 859
South Western 169
TOTAL 4,805
* DHSS social work regions are not, in general, conterminous with regional health authorities.

Table 1. Estimated numbers of resident patients in mental handicap hospitals and units in England on 31 December with length of stay one year or more
Regional Health Authority 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980* 1981* 1982*
Northern 3,210 3,186 3,116 3,059 2,988 2,914 2,921 2,830 2,771
Yorkshire 3,293 3,212 3,178 3,155 3,120 3,080 2,975 2,841 2,690
Trent 4,065 3,862 3,935 3,847 3,863 3,902 3,783 3,708 3,516

Mr. Nicholas Winterton

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will give a breakdown by region of the numbers of patients receiving short-term residential care for mental illness in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

Mr. John Patten

[pursuant to his reply, 19 June 1984, c. 141–42]: Information on resident patients in mental illness hospitals and units Is given in table 1. For persons resident in homes and hostels for the mentally ill, information is not collected centrally in the form requested. The available information for the years 1974 to 1982 is published in the series of reports entitled "Homes and Hostels for the Mentally Ill and Mentally Handicapped", copies of which are in the Library. Table 2 gives the available information for each social work region on 31 March 1983.

Mr. Nicholas Winterton

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will give a breakdown by region of the number of patients receiving long-term residential care for permanent mental handicap in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

Mr. John Patten

[pursuant to his reply, 19 June 1984, c. 141–42]: Information on resident patients in mental handicap hospitals and units is given in table 1. For persons resident in homes and hostels for the mentally handicapped, information is not collected centrally in the form requested. The available information for the years 1974 to 1982 is published in the series of reports entitled "Homes and Hostels for the Mentally Ill and Menially Handicapped", copies of which are in the Library. Table 2 gives the available information for each region on 31 March 1983.

Regional Health Authority 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980* 1981* 1982*
East Anglian 1,350 1,318 1,337 1,289 1,312 1,311 1,329 1,339 1,349
North West Thames 3,983 3,882 3,797 3,699 3,604 3,463 3,360 3,299 3,196
North East Thames 2,733 2,701 2,609 2,480 2,402 2,368 2,381 2,301 2,271
South East Thames 3,211 3,065 2,936 2,931 2,890 2,819 2,752 2,639 2,549
South West Thames 6,025 6,003 5,798 5,774 5,627 5,464 5,404 5,253 5,120
Wessex 2,166 2,131 2,140 2,121 2,150 2,110 1,994 1,933 1,871
Oxford 1,677 1,751 1,749 1,644 1,635 1,631 1,606 1,503 1,457
South Western 4,702 4,601 4,427 4,329 4,246 4,195 3,963 3,904 3,802
West Midlands 4,357 4,313 4,245 4,105 3,952 3,779 3,780 3,638 3,510
Mersey 2,334 2,292 2,247 2,252 2,155 2,195 2,151 2,047 1,947
North Western 4,202 4,062 4,009 3,933 3,816 3,695 3,540 3,419 3,278
TOTAL 47,308 46,379 45,523 44,618 43,760 42,926 41,939 40,654 39,327
* Figures from 1980 onwards are not directly comparable with earlier ones because of a change in the method of estimation between 1979 and 1980 and the reorganisation of the NHS from 1982. Comparable figures for 1973 are not readily available because of NHS reorganisation in 1974.
Table 2. Number of local authority supported residents† in homes and hostels for the mentally handicapped in England at 31 March 1983
Social Work Region* Number
Northern 843
Yorkshire/Humberside 1,473
North Western 2,881
West Midlands 1,876
East Midlands 907
London North 2,320
Inner London 1,353
Outer London 2,172
Southern 2,811
South Western 874
TOTAL 17,510
* DHSS social work regions are, in general, not conterminous with regional health authorities.
† Includes short and long-term residents.