§ Dr. MurrisonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the impact of availability of care home places in London and the South on the well-being of elderly people. [153998]
§ Dr. LadymanThere were 12,200 care homes with 209,000 places in London and the South at 31 March 2001.
Figures for later years have been collected by the National Care Standards Commission but comparable details are not yet available.
It is up to local councils to determine the range of care options, including residential care home places, that are needed to ensure the well being of their local population. This information should then inform their commissioning strategies and decisions.