§ Mr. KidneyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what additional funding he intends to make available to health authorities to pay for placements at residential care homes by way of intermediate care. [138827]
§ Mr. HuttonThe National Health Service Plan makes available new resources rising to £900 million annually to the NHS and social services for intermediate care and related services by 2003–04, over and above additional recurrent funding of £150 million this year, and a one-off allocation of £63 million to help expand capacity this winter.
The additional investment will be used to support a wide range of intermediate care and related services which aim to promote the independence and improved quality of care for older people, including residential intermediate care. The precise use of the funds will be for local health and social care communities to determine together, based on joint plans aimed at maximising the contribution of all partners in health and social care towards the development of effective intermediate care.