Concern For The Mentally Ill And The Mentally Handicapped

EDM number 167 in 1990-91, proposed by Nicholas Winterton on 05/12/1990.

That this House expresses its profound concern that too many mentally-ill and mentally-handicapped patients continue to be discharged into a community which is unwilling and unable to accept them; believes that in the interests of patient care an immediate moratorium should be introduced to prevent the closure of further centres of excellence in the provision of long-term care for the mentally-ill and mentally-handicapped; and urges the Secretary of State for Health to consider instead practical alternatives such as the establishment of village communities within hospital sites so that patients can enjoy a degree of independence where it is appropriate to their condition but are not forced to sacrifice in return their access to the support of dedicated nursing and medical personnel and the security which hospitals provide.

This motion has been signed by a total of 119 MPs, 4 of these signatures have been withdrawn.