§ Mr. RedmondTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list by regional health authority(a) the increase or (b) the decrease in hospital bed provision for old age psychiatry for the 12 months ended 31 March.
§ Mr. DorrellThe information requested in respect of NHS hospitals is given in the table. Health authorities and other statutory agencies also support substantial numbers of elderly mentally ill people in private nursing and residential homes. Further details about NHS bed availability are contained in the Department's annual publication "Summary of Bed Availability", copies of which are available in the Library. March 1990 is the latest date for which this information is held centrally. Details of the number of patients in private nursing and residential homes who are receiving support from the public sector are not collected centrally.
Average number of beds available daily in mental illness wards designated for elderly patients Year ending March Region 1988–89 1989–90 Percentage change1 Northern 2,057 2,105 +2 Yorkshire 2,051 1,802 -12 Trent 2,631 2,523 -4 East Anglian 1,048 992 -5 North West Thames 2,454 2,304 -6 North East Thames 1,963 1,962 — South East Thames 2,113 1,959 -7 South West Thames 1,091 1,087 — Wessex 1,337 1,336 — Oxford 754 761 +1 South Western 1,544 1,528 -1 West Midlands 2,357 2,348 -0.4 Mersey 1,693 1,448 -14 North Western 2,162 2,126 -2 Special Health Authorities 31 32 — England 25,287 24,313 -4 Source: KH03/SM12. 1 No change.