HC Deb 10 May 2002 vol 385 cc398-9W
Harry Cohen

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the average waiting time for a residential place with 24-hour staffing for a mental health patient in London. [48866]

Jacqui Smith

The Department does not collect this information. However, the NHS Plan commitment to create an additional 320 24-hour staffed beds across the country by April 2001 was achieved and returns indicate that a substantial number of these were in the London Region. It is anticipated that this increase will have reduced waiting times for places.

Harry Cohen

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the funding for the present year for(a) hospital and residential mental care and (b) day and community care, in mental health in London; how much funding for each category has increased since 1997; and what his Department estimates is the shortfall in provision in the capital, in both categories, in terms of both places and funding. [48865]

Jacqui Smith

Health authorities and primary care trusts receive the majority of their funding through unified allocations. Since 1997, total National Health Service expenditure has increased by almost 36 per cent in real terms, with net capital expenditure more than doubling in real terms.

In general, funding for specific services are not identified separately, in order to allow health authorities and PCTs to be able to manage flexibly the resources available to them.

Allocations specifically identified in Health Authority baselines for mental health since 1997 include:

£10.6 million nationally (£3.6 million in London) from the mental health challenge fund allocated recurrently in 1997–98;

£20 million nationally (£5 million in London) from the modernisation fund allocated recurrently in 1999–2000;

£42 million nationally (£37 million adult mental health and £5 million child and adolescent mental health) from the modernisation fund allocated recurrently in 2000–01;

£75 million nationally (£12.5 million in London) earmarked specifically for mental health in 2002–03.

A detailed breakdown of funding for hospital, residential, day and community mental health care is not available in the format required for the current year or from 1997. Similarly detailed information on the provision in terms of the number of places and funding is not available.