§ Mr. KirkwoodTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) whether he has any current plans to review the Registered Homes Act 1984;
(2) whether there are any current plans to extend registration requirements to all residential nursing homes with more than two residents;
(3) whether he has any plans to seek to change the existing statutory requirements for head managers of residential homes to be suitably qualified; and whether he 766W will consider setting out prescribed training to be undertaken on a continuing basis by staff directly involved in caring for residents;
(4) whether he will introduce regulations to ensure that individual programme plans are introduced and published for each client in a registered residential home.
§ Mr. MellorSir Roy Griffiths' report, "Community Care: An Agenda for Action" and Lady Wagner's "A Positive Choice" contain recommendations with implications for the registration system for residential care homes including the regulation of homes with fewer than four residents. Some of these recommendations would require amendment of the Act. The latter report also included proposals concerning the qualifications and training of the management and staff of homes and arrangements for the care of residents. We are considering these reports and the responses to them and will be bringing forward our own proposals in due course. Copies of both reports are in the Library. There are no legislative provisions governing the qualifications of managers of residential homes; that is a matter for registration authorities to determine.