§ Mr. BurstowTo ask the Secretary of State for Health which agencies are responsible for monitoring and caring for individuals who have been released from a mental hospital; and what arrangements ensure that agencies are co-ordinating these systems. [67160]
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§ Jacqui SmithThe lead health service provider, usually the National Health Service Trust, and the local authority social service department have the responsibility for the care of individuals who have been discharged from hospital. The care programme approach provides the framework for the care of people with mental health problems wherever the user is in the system, including residential and community settings. This framework is also used by the probation service, the police, and housing agencies who will be involved in on-going review of care arrangements and risk assessments
Arrangements for monitoring the care programme approach are set out in the policy booklet: "Effective Care Co-ordination in Mental Health Services" (Department of Health, October 1999) and "An Audit Pack for Monitoring the Care Programme Approach" (Department of Health, June 2001).
§ Mr. HealdTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what action has been taken in respect of each of the recommendations for action of the key area group of the Workforce Action Team on recruitment and retention issues in the mental health field. [67973]
§ Mr. HuttonThe mental health care group workforce team (MHCGWT) is actively taking forward the recommendations of the workforce action team (WAT). The MHCGWT is currently
working with Workforce Development Confederations as part of their recruitment and retention agenda;ensuring that wider recruitment and retention issues across the NHS include the correct focus on mental health.The MHCGWT have set up a recruitment and retention sub-group in order to develop initiatives on:
an advertisement campaign on mental health recruitment for later this year;a community engagement programme to recruit local people into the mental health workforce;producing recruitment videos;disseminating good practice.
§ Mr. HealdTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to legislate for the regulation of(a) psychologists, (b) psychotherapists and (c) counsellors. [67981]
§ Mr. HuttonWe have given a high priority to improving service quality in general in the national health service and social care services, as well as in the private sector. A number of initiatives testify to this, including the development of national service frameworks, the establishment of the National Institute for Clinical Excellence and the new framework of clinical governance. These modernised and more accountable professional regulatory arrangements will work alongside NHS quality assurance arrangements to offer much better protection for patients, wherever they are seen.
Proposals for the regulation of these groups are in the first instance a matter for the health professions council. The Department have indicated that we will be supporting moves to establish a scheme of statutory professional regulation of applied psychologists.
§ Mr. HealdTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made on the women's mental health consultation process. [67955]
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§ Jacqui SmithPreparation of the consultation document for the national women's mental health strategy continues and publication will take place after completion of the current spending review.
§ Mr. HealdTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent estimate he has made of the proportion of those suffering from severe mental illness(a) who are capable of undertaking paid employment and (b) who undertake paid employment. [67949]
§ Jacqui SmithThis information is not available. However, the psychiatric morbidity survey carried out by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and published in 2001 provided some information on the prevalence of psychiatric disorder by employment status. A copy of this report has been placed in the Library.
§ Mr. HealdTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what the estimated cost is of implementation of the draft Mental Health Bill: and whether such funds are available. [67964]
§ Jacqui SmithThe costs of the Mental Health Bill are being considered as part of the Department's spending review and the timescale for implementation will be determined by the availability of funding from the spending review settlement.
§ Mr. HealdTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what the reason was for his decision on the timing and length of the consultation on the draft Mental Health Bill. [67963]
§ Jacqui SmithConsultation on the draft Mental Health Bill will run for 12 weeks from 25 June 2002 until 16 September 2002.
This period is in keeping with the Cabinet Office code of practice guidance on written consultation.
The Government are committed to introducing legislation as soon as parliamentary time allows and we are therefore consulting on the draft Mental Health Bill at the earliest possible opportunity.
§ Mr. HealdTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the benefits of early treatment for those with mental health problems. [67944]
§ Jacqui SmithThe Department's research, analysis and information directorate has commissioned a review of current evidence in the field of early intervention in psychosis. This is being undertaken by Professor Max Marshall and is due to be completed by the end of September 2002.
§ Mr. HealdTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of those people who suffer severe mental illness were first treated for it by compulsion under a section of the Mental Health Act 1983 in each of the last five years. [67969]
§ Jacqui SmithThe information requested is not available in this form.
§ Mr. HealdTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent reports he has received of people with a diagnosis of severe mental illness being turned away when they ask for treatment. [67958]
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§ Jacqui SmithThere have been no reports of people with a diagnosis of severe mental illness being turned away from services.
The mental health national service framework explicitly states that everyone with severe mental illness should have access to the range of services they need.
§ Mr. HealdTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average period of untreated psychosis prior to a person receiving treatment was in the last 12 months. [67945]
§ Jacqui SmithThis information is not collected centrally.
§ Mr. HealdTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent progress has been made on the selection and implementation of instrumentation for the routine measurement of outcomes in mental health. [67960]
§ Jacqui SmithThe Department is developing an outcomes programme pilot for the implementation of instruments, which should be set up by September 2002. The plan to begin routine measurement of outcomes in mental health from April 2003 is currently on target.
§ Mr. HealdTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what the cost is per prison of providing mental health in-reach services in the last year for which figures are available; [67997]
(2) how much is being spent in 2002–03 on providing mental health in-reach services in prisons; and how much will be spent in (a) 2003–04, (b) 2004–05 and (c) 2005–06. [67994]
§ Jacqui SmithDuring 2001–02 mental health in-reach services were being established in 18 prisons in England. During 2002–03 it is planned that in-reach teams should be established in a further 26 prisons. Funding amounting to £3,850,000 has been allocated in 2002–03 to cover the costs of these developments. Specific allocations are made taking account of participating prisons' type, size and throughput.
Funding for 2003–04 and beyond has not yet been decided.
§ Mr. HealdTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to increase the number of beds available for the treatment of those with mental ill-health [67948]
§ Jacqui SmithWe have already fulfilled our NHS Plan commitments to create 500 extra secure beds and 320 extra 24-hour staffed beds by April 2001, and are on track to deliver 200 additional long-term secure beds by 2004.
Crisis resolution teams are dramatically reducing pressure on in-patient beds by 2004 there will be 335 such teams treating 100,000 people a year who would otherwise need admission to hospital.
§ Mr. BurstowTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what systems are in place to notify(a) police and (b) local authorities about persons who have been placed in a mental hospital being released; and if he will make a statement. [67177]
§ Jacqui SmithThe Criminal Justice and Court Services Act 2000 required the police and probation services (the 'responsible authorities') in each of the 42 areas of England and Wales to establish arrangements for assessing and managing the risks posed by sexual and786W violent offenders. These arrangements include those who have been detained in respect of a conviction by a hospital or guardian ship order within the meaning of the Mental Health Act 1983. These arrangements were introduced in April 2001. Scope to disclose information to the responsible authorities only exists within current legislation, where there is a high risk of harm to self or others, consistent with the Human Rights Act. Responsibility for the arrangements rests with those in charge of care and treatment, bearing in mind the facts of each individual case. The Department will be issuing guidance to ensure that all mental health trusts are appropriately represented in the arrangements.
New proposals concerning the rights of victims to information are contained within the draft Mental Health Bill published last week, and in relation to information exchange in the accompanying consultation document. We look forward to hearing views on these proposals.