§ Mr. Stallardasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what assessment his Department has made of the needs of frail elderly people for social service provision in its plans for community care projects;
(2) further to the reply to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. McCrindle),Official Report,28 July, column 559, whether he intends to consult voluntary organisations representing frail elderly people before drawing up his detailed guidance for community care.
§ Mr. Newton:It has been a major policy objective for many years to foster and develop community care for 122W vulnerable people including frail elderly people. It is for the health and local authorities, in pursuing this policy, to assess the care needs of people in their areas. The planning of developments in community care, including plans for enabling people to move out of hospital in response to the care in the community initiative, is a task for those authorities in consultation with voluntary organisations locally. The care in the community consultative document was issued to a large number of voluntary organisations and their comments were carefully studied. The detailed guidance referred to in the reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. McCrindle) on 28 July will mainly concern administrative arrangements, including joint funding.
§ Mr. Bowdenasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether, in his plans for community care, he has assessed the comparative costs of institutional and familial care; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Newton:The Department's community care study, published in 1981, highlighted the difficulties ins comparing the cost of institutional care and support in the home. Much depends on the level of care needed The study concluded that for some people community care may not always be less expensive than residential or hospital provision, particularly for those living alone, but that where adequate support is available at home this is often what people and their families choose.
123W
§ Mr. Bowdenasked the Secretary of State for Social Services, further to his reply to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. McCrindle),Official Report,28 July, c.559, if it remains his policy that care in the community requires the transfer of expenditure from the National Health Service to social services; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Newton:Our policy is to encourage the development of community care, to enable as many people as possible to live more independent lives outside institutions. This has been a major objective for many years and was reaffirmed in "Care in Action". Removing obstacles to the transfer of resources to the social services, to match the transfer of responsibility for hospital patients moving into community care, is in my view an important feature of that policy.
§ Mr. Bowdenasked the Secretary of State for Social Services, further to his reply to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. McCrindle),Official Report,28 July, c.559, when he expects to announce those aspects of his community care policy which depend on legislative change.
§ Mr. Newton:As my right hon. Friend indicated in his reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. McCrindle), the main legislative change required is to enable payments to be made by health authorities for the support of education for handicapped people and for housing.