§ Ms LynneTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what action she is taking to improve access to community care services for elderly people of Asian origin and other ethnic minorities.
§ Mr. YeoResponsibility for ensuring proper access to community care services for all groups rests with local authorities. To help local authorities do this the Department
- (a) issued policy guidance about ensuring that assessment of community care needs is accessible to people from ethnic minority backgrounds and that services are appropriate (copies are available in the Library);
- (b) issued practice guidance on care management and assessment which draws specific attention to the needs of ethnic minority communities and is developing further practice guidance on ethnic minority issues (copies are available in the Library);
- (c) produced audio cassettes about community care in seven minority languages;
- (d) grant aids the race equality unit, which advises local authorities on good practice in the delivery of personal social services to people from minority groups.