§ Mr. Simon HughesTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the total cost of the Government's care in the community programme for 1998–99; and if he will make a statement. [25345]
§ Mr. BoatengIt is for health authorities to determine the resources that they allocate to care in the community provision from their overall allocation, in the light of the priority accorded to mental health services in the National Health Service Priorities and Planning Guidance 1998/99 and local circumstances. Similarly, it is for local authorities to determine the level of funding they allocate to services for mentally ill people from their total resources.
In recognition of the importance which the Government place on mental health, we have increased the Mental Illness Specific Grant by 9 per cent. to £73.3 million for 1998–99.
These additional resources will be made available through a new £2 million fund for child and adolescent mental health services and through a £4 million local authority mental health partnership fund. This will be matched by a £4 million NHS mental health partnership fund.
§ Mr. Simon HughesTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what plans he has to extend the range of residential care for mental health clients in the community; [25343]
(2) if he will make a statement on the Government's policy on care in the community. [25346]
§ Mr. BoatengThe policy of care in the community has failed to realise the benefits held out to all at the time of its introduction. The majority of people with mental illness have benefited but for a significant number the necessary level of support has not been delivered. This has threatened both the safety of those vulnerable individuals and, on occasions, the public. We want to ensure that the full range of services are available to provide a balanced range of mental health services. This includes an appropriate mix of both hospital places and community support, including more 24 hour nursed care. Mentally ill people must be cared for in safety and security and we must rebuild public trust and confidence in mental health services.
We have set up an Independent Reference Group to advise us. Its first task is to consider long stay psychiatric hospital closure plans to ensure that no more hospitals are closed without proper and credible alternative services being in place.
73WA review of mental health services is also underway, monitoring the level of service provision, and identifying importantly, where there are gaps. We will take the findings of this review into account in future policy developments.