§ Mr. FieldTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what response he has made to the submission by Methodist Homes for the Aged to his consultation paper on Nationally Required Standards for Residential and Nursing Homes for Older People. [130781]
§ Mr. HuttonI am aware that the supportive response from Methodist Homes to the consultation document raised a number of concerns including about the staffing and physical environment standards and the timescale for implementing the standards.
I refer my right hon. Friend to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Warrington, North (Helen Jones) on 20 July 2000, Official Report, columns 287–88W. This set out the conclusions we have reached in relation to the physical standards in residential and nursing homes based on the responses to the consultation process on "Fit for the Future?".
Regarding staffing, we do not accept that fixed ratios are the best means of specifying the number and qualifications of staff to be employed in a nursing home. For qualified nurses, numbers should relate to the assessed needs of residents at any one time. We are considering what models of assessment should be recognised by the National Care Standards Commission for this purpose and how nursing needs are defined so that nurse staffing levels can be set accurately and realistically. For ancillary staff, levels should take account of the degree of efficiency and effectiveness demonstrated by providers in managing ancillary tasks.
The standards for nine out of the eleven topic areas that we consulted upon in "Fit for the Future?" received overwhelming support and these will form the basis for the full set of national minimum standards which we will publish later this year.