HC Deb 15 March 1988 vol 129 cc552-3W
Mr. Tom Clarke

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services how many persons have been discharged from long-stay mental illness and mental handicap institutions since 1978–79; and into what forms of care and in what numbers these persons have been discharged.

Mrs. Currie

I regret that I am unable to give the hon. Member the exact information requested. Information on discharges of people from mental illness and mental handicap hospitals since 1978 is given in statistical bulletins 2/2/88 ("Mental Illness Hospitals and Units in England: Results of the Mental Health Enquiry 1986") and 2/3/88 (for mental handicap hospitals and units). These bulletins are in the Library.

Table 1 of both publications gives the total numbers of discharges, and figure 6 of bulletin 2/2/88 and figure 4 of bulletin 2/3/88 show an indication of the number of people discharged after, in effect, living in the hospital. Some people may require to be readmitted depending on their circumstances.

Central information cannot trace people out into the community after discharge from hospital, but I am placing in the Library a research register prepared by "Good Practices in Mental Health" which includes a number of studies of particular areas with relevant information.

Mr. Tom Clarke

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will provide figures for each year from 1978–79 to 1986–87 showing(a) the numbers of mentally handicapped children leaving education, and the numbers of mentally handicapped people discharged from residential care, and (b) the corresponding trends in provision of day care services for mentally handicapped persons over the same period.

Mrs. Currie

Information requested at(a) is not available centrally. The following tables give information on (b).

Table 1 Adult training centres for mentally handicapped people England 1979 to 1987
Centres/Units Places
1979 445 42,061
1980 451 42,337
1981 461 43,627
1982 474 45,152
1983 484 46,558
1984 496 47,464
1985 505 48,824
1986 527 50,374
1987 533 51,198

Notes:

1. The above includes adult training centres plus independent special needs units.

2. All figures as at 31 March.

Table 2 NHS day care for mentally handicapped people England 1978 to 1986
Year Attendances
1978 295,033
1979 333,735
1980 372,678
1981 379,962
1982 379,639
1983 369,459
1984 348,719
1985 404,176
1986 453,667

Further information on adult training centres and special needs units is published in "Adult Training Centres for Mentally Handicapped People and Day Centres for Mentally Ill, Elderly and Younger Physically Handicapped People at 31 March 1986", copies of which have been placed in the Library.