§ Mr. Bestasked the Secretary of State for Wales whether he has received the final report from the review group on mental illness services in Dyfed.
§ Mr. Nicholas EdwardsI received the final report of the review group late in January, and I have discussed it with the chairman, Lady Crawshay, in company with the other members of the group. The report points to what has been achieved over the last two and a half years by the three statutory authorities and their staff, working in co-operation. It also emphasises that these improvements provide the basis for further challenging work, which will be necessary if the full potential of the changes made is to be realised. There is now a strategic plan for the development of services agreed by all three authorities, which is itself a measure of the commitment to sustaining the momentum for improvement that now exists. It is further evidence of the quality of services at St. David's that it has recently obtained conditional approval from the Welsh National Board for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting for a reintroduction of nurse training on the basis of a demanding new syllabus.
I shall be in touch with the chairman of the three authorities to emphasise the importance I attach to the review group's conclusions and recommendations. I 166W welcome and endorse them all. My Department will keep abreast of progress in implementing the service developments planned for the coming years. There will be opportunities for me to take stock in advance of the next planned study of mental illness services in Dyfed to be conducted by the National Health Service Health Advisory Service, in 1987.
A copy of the review group's final report has been placed in the Library.