Mental Health Services: Hospital Beds

Tim Loughton
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many acute mental health beds were available in each of the last 10 years.

Ms Rosie Winterton
[holding answer 5 February 2007]: This information is shown in the table. The reduction in mental health bed numbers reflects the increasing provision by the national health service in England of treatment for patients with mental health conditions in primary care and community settings, without the need for hospital admissions.

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|                                     |Average daily number of beds available for acute mental health services in the NHS in England|
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|1996-97                              |37,640                                                                                       |
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|1997-98                              |36,601                                                                                       |
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|1998-99                              |35,692                                                                                       |
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|1999-2000                            |34,173                                                                                       |
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|2000-01                              |34,214                                                                                       |
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|2001-02                              |32,783                                                                                       |
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|2002-03                              |32,753                                                                                       |
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|2003-04                              |32,252                                                                                       |
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|2004-05                              |31,286                                                                                       |
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|2005-06                              |29,802                                                                                       |
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|Source:Department of Health form KH03|                                                                                             |
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