§ Mr. HinchliffeTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what is her estimate of the cost to the National Health Service of providing continuing care for each year from 1979 to 1996;
(2) what is her estimate of the number of people in need of continuing care as provided by the national health service in each year from 1979 to 1996.
§ Mr. BowisI refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave to the hon. Member for Alyn and Deeside (Mr. Jones) on 19 December 1994 at column1147. The number of people in need of continuing care is not available centrally.
§ Mr. HinchliffeTo ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps she will take to monitor health authorities investment in continuing care provision; and how she will ascertain which health authorities are under-providing.
§ Mr. BowisThe National Health Service Executive and social services inspectorate will work closely with authorities to ensure that the guidance is fully implemented. As part of this process, health authorities will be required to include managing any re-investment in their timed and costed plans which will he in place by I April 1996.
§ Mr. HinchliffeTo ask the Secretary of State for Health in what circumstances patients will he able to challenge the criteria applied by the health authority to decide their entitlement to national health service continuing care.
§ Mr. BowisHealth authorities must consult and fully involve local authorities, all general practitioners, national health service and independent providers and representatives of users and carers in drawing up local eligibility criteria.
From April 1996, a patient or his or her family and any carer can ask the health authority to review the decision on entitlement to national health service funded continuing health care if they do not believe that the health authority's eligibility criteria have been applied correctly.
§ Mr. HinchliffeTo ask the Secretary of State for Health in what circumstances a patient in need of continuing care as provided by the national health service can be placed in a nursing home.
§ Mr. BowisIt is for health authorities to arrange and fund a full range of services to meet the continuing health care needs of their local population. They may purchase such care from national health service hospitals or other facilities, including nursing homes. If a patient meets the 241W eligibility criteria for continuing NHS in-patient care but a bed is not available within the health authority's contracted provision, agreement for an extra-contractual referral to another hospital or nursing home should be sought.