HL Deb 22 June 1989 vol 509 cc407-8WA
Lord Stallard

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they will state (i) the annual reduction in the number of (a) patients resident (b) staffed beds in English mental hospitals and units from 1954 to the latest year for which figures are available; (ii) how many staffed beds have been lost in each of the four mental illness hospitals approved for total closure in 1986 and 1987; (iii) how many will be lost in the eleven planned to close in 1989, 1990 and 1991; and (iv) how many patients will be affected at each, together with the names and location of the hospitals concerned.

Lord Henley: Information about the number of staffed beds and patients from 1970 and 1986 is set out in the table. Figures for years prior to 1970 are not available without incurring disproportionate cost, and for 1987 are incomplete.

Number of Available Staffed Beds and Resident Patients in NHS Mental Illness Hospitals and Units in England, as at 31 December 1970–1986
Available Staffed Beds at 31/12 Resident Patients at 31/12
Year Number Reduction over previous year % Reduction over previous Year Number Reduction % Reduction
1970 122,922 108,702
1971 119,379 3,543 2.9 105,007 3,695 3.4
1972 113,193 6,186 5.2 99,109 5,898 5.6
1973 108,200 4,993 4.4 94,326 4,783 4.8
1974 102,570 5,630 5.2 89,064 5,262 5.6
1975 98,334 4,236 4.1 86,719 2,345 2.6
1976 96,010 2,324 2.4 83,320 3,399 3.9
1977 93,276 2,734 2.8 80,686 2,634 3.2
1978 90,656 2,620 2.8 78,205 2,481 3.1
1979 88,425 2,231 2.5 76,364 1,841 2.4
1980 86,617 1,808 2.0 74,831 1,533 2.0
1981 85,247 1,370 1.6 73,174 1,657 2.2
1982 83,510 1,737 2.0 70,881 2,293 3.1
1983 81,032 2,478 3.0 69,023 1,858 2.6
1984 77,730 3,302 4.1 66,056 2,967 4.3
1985 74,837 2,893 3.7 63,970 2,086 3.2
1986 71,215 3,622 4.8 60,279 3,691 5.8

Of the four mental illness hospitals approved for closure in 1986 and 1987, the following number of beds were staffed and available for use.

Regions Hospital Available beds(end 1985 unless otherwise stated)
Northern Holywood Hall, Bishop Auckland 34
North West Thames Banstead, Surrey 480
Neasden, London 83
West Midlands Powick, Worcester 110 (average daily available beds 1987/88)
Of the 11 mental illness hospitals planned to close in 1989, 1990 and 1991, the daily available beds (1987/88) are given in the table for each hospital. Ten of the hospitals are in England: the remaining one is Pool Park Hospital, Clwyd and the consultation process for its proposed closure (in 1990) is currently under way. It is not possible to say how many patients will be affected when these hospitals actually close.

Regions Hospital Average daily available beds (rounded)
Yorkshire Broadgate, Beverley 226
Trent St John, Lincoln 359
Eastdale, Notts 17
SW Thames Long Grove Epsom 667 (estimate)
Wessex Whitecroft, Isle of Wight 105
Oxford St John's, Aylesbury 348
South Western Digby, Exeter 81
Mendip, Wells, Somerset 321
West Midlands Powick, Worcester 110
Mersey Rainhill, Liverpool 901