§ Mr. AllenTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (I) what provision is made for patients who refuse to be transferred to nursing homes because the Department of Social Security fails to meet the fees;
(2) why the chronically sick who are transferred to nursing homes on the recommendation of the appropriate medical authority to avoid bed-blocking are required to meet the homes' charges if they do not qualify for Department of Social Security assistance.
§ Mr. FreemanI have been asked to reply.
No patient should be discharged from an NHS bed to care in a private nursing home against his wish if he or the relative will be personally responsible for the home's charges. If a patient in an NHS bed does not agree to a transfer to a fee-charging home, if he or she is in need of continuous nursing care, the patient should remain under the care of the health authority. The Department included guidance on these points in a circular issued to health authorities last year (HC(89)5), a copy of which is available in the Library. This circular requires all health authorities to review and revise their discharge procedures and to report on the action they have taken to their regional health authority by 31 March 1990.