§ Mr. FlynnTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales what new proposals he has to ensure that patients in mental hospitals are allocated to wards on the basis of the severity of their illnesses rather than on their places of residence. [18080]
§ Mr. RichardsThe responsibility for determining the level of need and the provision of appropriate services rests entirely with local health authorities. The decision to admit a patient to a specific hospital ward is a clinical one, taken at a local level and based on the needs of the individual.