HC Deb 13 April 1989 vol 150 c696W
Mr. Goodlad

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department spent on research into schizophrenia in each of the last two years; and what proportion each figure was of expenditure on the National Health Service research programme.

Mr. Freeman

In 1988–89, £1,307,900 was made available from the Department of Health and Social Security for directly commissioned health, personal social services and social security research programmes for research into mental illness, much of which will be relevant to sufferers from schizophrenia. In 1987–88 the comparable sum was £1,267,000. Expressed as a percentage of the health, personal social services and social security research budget the figures are 8–2 per cent. and 9–3 per cent. respectively.

In 1986 a specific research initiative on schizophrenia was started consisting of seven new research studies. It is hoped that the results of these projects will provide valuable information on the pattern of care of schizophrenia patients.

Mr. Goodlad

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what is the current annual cost per patient to the National Health Service in the Mersey health region of the care and treatment of patients with a main diagnosis of schizophrenia psychoses;

(2) how much was spent in the Mersey health region in the last year on the care and treatment of patients suffering from schizophrenia psychoses; and what percentage that figure represented of total expenditure on (a) mental and (b) all health services.

Mr. Freeman

Information relating specifically to the cost of treating patients suffering from schizophrenia psychoses in the Mersey region is not collected centrally.