HC Deb 04 November 1999 vol 337 c308W
Miss McIntosh

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to encourage local authorities to place elderly patients who are awaiting discharge from hospital in private nursing homes; and if he will make a statement. [96758]

Mr. Hutton

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Waveney (Mr. Blizzard) on 29 October 1999,Official Report, column 1027.

Miss McIntosh

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans the Government have to reduce the regulatory framework for private nursing homes for the elderly. [96756]

Mr. Hutton

Our plans for reforming the regulatory arrangements for care homes and other social services are set out in our White Paper, "Modernising Social Services", published last year. The new arrangements are about improving regulation and reducing bureaucracy.

We will replace the current system, where over 100 health authorities register and inspect nursing homes, each applying locally developed standards, with an independent inspection and registration system applying clear, coherent and consistent National Required Standards to nursing homes across the whole country.

Miss McIntosh

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action the Government intend to take to support the private sector in the provision of homes for the elderly. [96755]

Mr. Hutton

We are undertaking a number of measures to improve the commissioning of social services, including from the independent sector. These include the development of better ways to help local authorities to identify what interventions are most effective in replacing good practice and securing sustainable improvements in the efficiency, quality and range of service commissioning for older people; and the use of Best Value service reviews, Joint Reviews with the Audit Commission and Social Services Inspectorate inspections to ensure that best practice is being implemented.

The Government's Small Business Service will be looking at how the needs of small businesses can be met at a national, regional and local level.