§ Mr. BlunkettTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he intends to take for the assessment and rehabilitation of those patients previously diagnosed as suffering from mental disorders, whose difficulties are subsequently discovered to arise from profound deafness; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mrs. CurrieAll staff working with mentally disordered people need to be alert to the possibility of hearing loss and this was drawn to the attention of staff working with mentally handicapped people in the 1984 report "Helping Mentally Handicapped People with Special Problems". Where hearing impairment is suspected, the patient is referred for skilled audiological advice. Future action must depend on the particular circumstances of the case.