Community Equipment Services

HL Deb 22 July 2002 vol 638 cc26-7WA

Baroness Noakes

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they accept the opinion of the Audit Commission in its report Fully Equipped 2002 that "for the most part, equipment services remain in a parlous state" and that "ineffectual service commissioning is at the heart of the problems facing equipment services"; and what practical steps they intend to take in response to the Audit Commission's report. [HL5188]

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath

The Government are committed to improve community equipment services. The NHS Plan targets are to integrate health and social care community equipment services and to increase by 50 per cent the number of people who can benefit from such services by 2004. We are only 15 months into a three-year period of reform and investment.

The Audit Commission report has concentrated on the areas where improvements are desirable. We welcome the examples of good practice identified in the report. We will build on the strong messages for commissioners of service contained in Fully Equipped 2002. Members of the National Integration Support Team (NIST) are working with the Audit Commission to produce, by the autumn, guidelines for commissioning community equipment services. NIST members are also disseminating examples of good practice during the course of their work with local equipment services.