§ Mr. BreedTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what plans he has to improve access to(a) day care, (b) residential care and (c) recreational clubs for the elderly in rural areas; [110780]
(2) what plans he has to improve access to (a) day care and (b) residential care for people with disabilities in rural areas. [110779]
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§ Mr. HuttonWe are committed to ensuring that access to social care services is not limited by where people live.
Last year the social services inspectorate published "Care in the Country", which reported on community care arrangements for older people and people with disabilities in eight rural shire counties. While the report highlights the ways in which rurality can sometimes make it difficult to deliver services it highlights many examples of good practice and offers councils key messages to consider and a checklist to use in evaluating their own services.
One of the aims of the Fair Access to Care Services guidance, which will be issued for consultation in the summer, will be to set out the principles authorities should follow when devising and applying eligibility criteria for social care services. This will ensure more consistency around the country in the way people are judged eligible for services.