HC Deb 24 May 1985 vol 79 cc590-1W
Mrs. Renée Short

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list the number of mental hospitals and mental handicap hospitals which have closed down in each year since 1979; and if he will give a breakdown region by region of these closures during the same period.

Mr. Kenneth Clarke

From the information we have centrally, the number of mental illness and mental handicap hospitals approved for complete closure for the period May 1979—March 1985, is as follows:

Year Number of hospitals
May—December 1979 1
January—December 1980 3
January—December 1981 5
January—December 1982 2
January—December 1983 6
January—December 1984 14
January— March 1985
TOTAL May 1979— March 1985 31

Details of the individual hospitals are in the table.

Region Area/District Hospital Type of Hospital Mental Illness (MI) or Mental Handicap (MH) Date Approved
Nottingham Coppice Hospital MI December 1984
Rotherham Aughton Court Hospital MH September 1984
North Lincolnshire Lawn Hospital MI February 1934
East Anglian Norwich The Vale MI May 1984
Norwich Blofield Hall MH September 1984
North East Thames City and Hackney The German MI June 1984
South West Thames Mid-Downs Roffey Park MI October 1984
North West Surrey Murray House, Ottershaw MH April 1984
Wessex Winchester Tichbourne Down House Hospital MH April 1984
Bath Winsley Centre MH November 1984
Oxford Northampton Upton Lawn Day Hospital MI October 1984
West Midlands Worcester & District St. Wulstan's Hospital MI June 1984
Mersey Wirral Priory Day Hospital MI October 1984

Mrs. Renée Short

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list the numbers of patients residing in mental hospitals and units in England in each year since 1979.

Mr. Kenneth Clarke

On the assumption that the hon. Member is referring to mental illness hospitals and units, the available information is given in Table 1 of DHSS Statistical Bulletin 1/85, "Mental illness hospitals and units in England, results from the Mental Health Enquiry 1983," a copy of which is in the Library.