§ Mr. Brandon-Bravoasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he is able to announce the appointment of a new director for the national development team for mentally handicapped people; and if he will outline the role of the team.
§ Mr. NewtonMy right hon. Friend has approved the appointment of Mr. Derek Thomas and he will take up his duties on 1 April
Mr. Thomas has been the District Psychologist for North Manchester health authority since July 1984. He has considerable experience — as a practitioner and subsequently in the management, planning and development of services for people with a mental handicap and their families. We look to him to provide effective leadership of the team at this time of major transition from hospital to community services, building on the strengths of the widely experienced panel, and the work of the current acting director Mr. Jim Gardner and his associate director Mrs. Lotte Mason.
The team is in a unique position to provide expert, independent advice to field authorities—not just about existing services but about joint plans and strategies and their effectiveness in building quality assurance into the development of services. We shall also expect the team to play its part in keeping Ministers informed about the state of current services, the nature and direction of change and the implications for policy.
I expect the team to place greater emphasis on its diagnostic role in identifying problems within the areas of authorities seeking the team's advice, drawing their attention to the examples in various parts of the country of excellent programmes and of sensitive and skilful management of change — so that the best use can be made of all available resources (including skilled manpower and general community resources) in developing and maintaining comprehensive good quality services to meet individual needs.