HC Deb 08 February 1988 vol 127 cc96-7W
Mr. Neil Hamilton

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will tabulate by specialty the waiting list figures in the Macclesfield health authority as at 31 March in each year since 1981.

Mr. Newton

The information requested is given in the table.

Mr. Newton

The Department does not collect information on costs of caring for the mentally ill by dependency level. Health Service costing returns indicate that the cost per in-patient week in a mental illness hospital is £296 at 1987–88 prices.

Mr. Irving

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what action he proposes to take in response to the criticisms of deficiencies in regional hospital authority plans identified by the Comptroller and Auditor General in the report on community care, HC 108; and what assessment he has made of the impact of such deficiencies of the ability of his Department to formulate an accurate national overview on community care for the mentally ill;

(2) if it would assist his Department, in overseeing and guiding the development of community care policies, if some aspects of regional health authority plans could be produced to a standard format; what assessment he has made of the areas which could be standardised; and if he will make a statement;

(3) what action he proposes to take to ensure that information about the planned level of local authority services for the mentally ill is included in future National Health Service plans, in the light of the Comptroller and Auditor General's identification of the need for a balanced consideration of the service changes proposed.

Mr. Newton

We are considering how we can specify clearly in future planning guidance the key quantitative information we expect plans to contain. This consideration includes services for mentally ill people in the community, whether provided by health authorities themselves or by other agencies.