§ Sir Michael McNair-WilsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health who will be responsible for co-ordinating and supervising at a local level health and community care for persons in care both public and private.
§ Mrs. Virginia BottomleyDistrict health authorities and local authority social services departments will be responsible for assessing the health and social care needs of their resident populations. Each will then commission a range of services to meet those needs. DHAs will secure their services through a system of contracts or service agreements, as will local authorities when not directly providing them. In agreeing contracts, DHAs and SSDs will wish to satisfy themselves about a number of factors including the quality of treatment and care. It will be important for both district health authorities and local authorities to ensure that services are integrated and co-ordinated: they will need to ensure there is close and effective collaboration between the various elements which make up community care.