§ Mr. Ieuan Wyn JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what the daily per capita food allowance is for elderly patients in continuing care in the NHS in England.
§ Mr. DorrellThe decision as to the level of dietary requirements rests with each individual health authority.
§ Mr. Ieuan Wyn JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what steps he is taking to ensure continuing care provision in the NHS for elderly people in England;
(2) whether he will list by region the number of beds in continuing care for elderly people which have been contracted out in England;
(3) whether he will list, by region, the number of beds available in continuing care for elderly people in the NHS in England.
§ Mr. DorrellThe information requested is not held centrally. The Government consider continuous nursing care services to be an integral part of NHS provision for elderly people who require them. There are several ways in which the NHS may arrange the provision of long-term, or continuous nursing care, where it is needed: by provision of community nursing to the patient's own homes; a long stay geriatric ward; in some districts, a NHS nurse managed unit; or by beds in private nursing homes paid for under contractual arrangement. It is for local health authority management to decide the nature of the continuous care service it provides, in the light of local needs and circumstances and the overall level of provision.