HC Deb 28 November 1988 vol 142 cc139-40W
Mr. Goodlad

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will list(a) the discharges and (b) the deaths, by length of stay, including percentage change in numbers and percentage distribution, of patients suffering from schizophrenia psychoses for the last year for which figures are available;

(2) how many current occupants of National Health Service hospital and unit beds have a main diagnosis of schizophrenia psychoses in each health region; and what those figures are as a percentage of (a) mental and (b) all hospital beds in each region;

(3) if he will list the admissions by diagnosis and order of admissions, including percentage change in numbers and rates per 100,000 population, of patients suffering from schizophrenia psychoses in each health region in the last year for which figures are available;

(4) how many patients with a primary diagnosis of schizophrenia psychoses were discharged from mental illness hospitals in each health region last year; and how many were admitted for a hospital stay of more than once during the year;

(5) how many people with a main diagnosis of schizophrenia psychoses were discharged from mental illness hospitals in England in each of the last five years; and how many of them were taken into local authority residential care in the same year.

Mrs. Currie

The latest available information on people with schizophrenia in National Health Service mental illness hospitals and units is contained in the Department's statistical bulletin 1/86 "Mental illness hospitals and units in England: Schizophrenia Statistics 1981–84" and statistical note 2/88 "Mental illness hospitals and units in England: Schizophrenia Statistics 1984–86"; copies of which have been placed in the Library.

Mr. Goodlad

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what research projects his Department is funding in the current year to test the effectiveness of community care for people suffering from schizophrenia psychoses; and if he will make a statement.

Mrs. Currie

The Department of Health's directly commissioned health and personal social services research programme includes the following current projects:

Title Researcher(s) and Location
(i) Assessment of needs of chronic schizophrenics living in the health district of Harrow; Dr. E. Johnson and Dr. H. I. Hershon, Northwick Park Hospital
(ii) A comparison of day and in patient treatment Dr. F. Creed, Manchester Royal Infirmary
(iii) Compulsory treatment of psychiatric patients in the community Professor S. R. Hirsch and Dr. T. E. Sensky, Department of Psychiatry, Charing Cross Hospital
(iv) Research on management of schizophrenics in the community; Dr. G. Wilkinson and Dr. I. Falloon, Institute of Psychiatry, Denmark Hill, London
(v) A controlled evaluation of community psychiatric care; Dr. T. Burns, Department of Psychiatry, St. George"s Hospital Medical School
(vi) Evaluating the transition from psychiatric hospitals to District based services. (Part funding from Department of Health) Professor J. P. Leff, MRC Social Psychiatric Unit.
(vii) Controlled trial of a daily living programme versus standard psychiatric care; Professor I. Marks, Institute of Psychiatry
(viii) Interface between primary care and hospital based mental illness services; Professor D. Goldberg, Department of Psychiatry, University of Manchester
(ix) Early brief versus sustained neuroleptic treatment in the maintenance phase of schizophrenia Professor S. R. Hirsch, Department of Psychiatry, Charing Cross and Westminster Medical School

Mr. Goodlad

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how much was spent in England and Wales in the last year on the care and treatment of patients suffering from schizophrenia; and what percentage that figure represented of total expenditure on(a) mental and (b) all health services;

(2) what is the current annual cost per patient to the National Health Service of the care and treatment of patients with a main diagnosis of schizophrenia psychoses.

Mrs. Currie

This information is not collected centrally.

Mr. Goodlad

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received in the last year on the provision of community care for patients suffering from schizophrenia psychoses discharged from National Health Service mental hospitals; and if he will make a statement.

Mrs. Currie

We have received representation from a variety of sources, some of which reflect concern about the level of services available in some localities. Over the next year, the Government will be looking closely at local levels of provision.