§ Mr. Tom Clarkeasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will state capital spending plans for Scottish psychiatric hospitals for the next year.
§ Mr. Michael ForsythEach health board determines its capital expenditure priorities within the block capital allocation made annually by my right hon. and learned Friend. Full details are not held centrally and at this stage in the year it is not possible to say which individual project each board will decide to take forward, but the following major projects for psychiatric hospitals are currently at detailed planning stages or under construction:
Project Total Cost Current Year Estimated Expenditure £ million £ million 1. Royal Cornhill, Aberdeen 8.2 0.2 2. Parkhead, Glasgow 4.6 2.3 3. Ailsa Hospital, Ayr 1.3 0.8 4. Hairmyres, East Kilbride 3.1 0.1 In addition the West Lothian district general hospital, phase 11, includes provision for psychiatric patients. Other smaller projects are being undertaken by boards.
§ Mr. Tom Clarkeasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the number of people admitted to Scottish psychiatric hospitals for each of the years 1980 to 1986.
§ Mr. Michael ForsythThe total number of admissions (including re-admissions) is as follows:
497W
Scottish psychiatric hospitals1: Admissions Admissions 1980 27,896 1981 28,510 1982 225,571
Admissions 1983 28,357 1984 29,167 1985 29,947 1 Mental illness and mental handicap. 2 Influence of industrial action in Health Service. Information for 1986 is not yet available. The above figures reflect a reduction in lengths of stay in hospital and an increase in readmissions, both of which are matters of clinical judgment. The number of residents in psychiatric hospitals has been falling in recent years.
§ Mr. Tom Clarkeasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the number of Scottish hospitals which meet the suggested target of 40 trained psychiatric nurses for every 100 psychiatric patients.
§ Mr. Michael ForsythThe target of 40 trained psychiatric nurses for every 100 psychiatric patients is not one which has been recommended by the Scottish Home and Health Department and its source has not been verified. The number of mental illness hospitals, mental handicap hospitals and those with units for the mentally ill and handicapped which have 40 or more trainee nurses (whole-time equivalents) for every 100 weighted' patients at 31 March 1986, the latest figures available, are shown in the table.
Trained nurses include both registered mental illness and mental handicap nurses and enrolled nurses. Information on registered nurses alone cannot be provided except at disproportionate cost.
Psycho-geriatric Mental illness Mental handicap Mental hospitals Number 19 26 17 Number with 40 or more nurses per 100 weighted1 patients 2 3 1 Other hospitals with mental units Number 16 13 4 Number with 40 or more nurses per 100 weighted1 patients 7 13 1 Note: Hospitals with patients falling into more than one of the three categories of mental illness shown will be counted separately in each line as appropriate.
1 Weighted to take account of in-patients, out-patients, day patients and day cases.