§ Mr. Goodladasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what funds have been specifically earmarked for the care of the mentally ill following the closure of mental hospitals in each health region in the last year; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mrs. CurrieI am sorry I cannot give my hon. Friend the information he seeks as it is not centrally collected. My hon. Friend may like to seek information from any individual regional health authority in whose area there has been such a closure.
§ Mr. Goodladasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what representations he has received on the provisions of community care for patients suffering from schizophrenic psychosis discharged from National Health Service mental illness hospitals; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mrs. CurrieWe receive representations from time to time about the quality of community care for those people discharged from hospital following treatment for schizophrenia.
The effectiveness of modern treatment means that patients are usually well enough, and prefer, to leave after a short stay in hospital, and to receive further treatment on an out-patient or day-patient basis. We are very conscious that the patient when at home needs good quality support. Studies have shown that in many places the quality of support is patchy and we will not be satisfied until we see evidence of a high level of support everywhere. We emphasise the importance of the professional team agreeing an individual care plan with the patient and carers at the time of discharge.
Community care services to mentally ill people are still in the process of development, as my hon. Friend will see from the rapid expansion of the community psychiatric nursing service. Health authorities have been asked to make the needs of this group a priority. More needs to be done both in terms of the range, quality and distribution of facilities and in the co-ordination between the statutory, voluntary and private sectors which collectively provide the services. Sir Roy Griffiths is conducting a review on community care and will report around the end of the year on how it can be made more effective.
§ Mr. Goodladasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) how many people discharged from hospital following a main diagnosis of schizophrenic psychosis and subsequently taken by the police under section to hospital have been refused admission in each health region in each of the last five years;
(2) how many people discharged from mental illness hospitals, after a main diagnosis of schizophrenic 410W psychosis, having been proved vulnerable boarders, subsequently became voluntary boarders in each of the last five years in each health region.
§ Mrs. CurrieI am sorry I cannot give my hon. Friend the information he seeks, as it is not collected centrally.
§ Mr. Goodladasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what guidance his Department gives to mental illness hospitals on the retention of patients whose condition is unlikely to improve; and what is the current policy in each health region.
§ Mrs. CurrieIn our policy paper on mental illness services (Cmnd. 9674) we advised health authorities that every district will require long-stay accommodation for those patients whose psychiatrists find that discharge would not be in the patient's interest. The paper says
Patients who would he better off outside hospital should have a planned discharge to suitable care even if no closure is foreseen; patients who are better off in in-patient care should continue to receive such care, by a transfer if necessary, even if a closure is planned.I believe all regional health authorities' policies are in line with this guidance.