§ Mr. BerminghamTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the total number of admissions to hospitals of persons suffering from schizophrenia in the immediate past 12 months for which statistics are available; what proportion of such admissions were for the first time in that period; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mrs. CurrieIn 1986, the latest year for which statistics are available, there were 25,046 admissions to NHS mental illness hospitals and units in England where the main diagnosis was schizophrenia psychoses. One person can be admitted several times in one year. I regret that it is not possible to say what proportion of these admissions related to people admitted for the first time in that year. However, of the admissions in 1986, 2,523 or 10 per cent. were of people who had never previously been admitted to a mental illness hospital or unit.