§ Mr. FearnTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what is his policy towards elderly patients discharged from National Health Service hospital to be cared for in the community, either in a residential home at their own cost or with relatives, who refuse to enter a home or where the relatives refuse to care for them.
§ Mrs. CurrieThe objective of all services for elderly patients must be to provide the right care to meet the individual's needs. The decision on whether and when a patient is ready for discharge is for the clinical judgment of the doctor in charge of the case, but we would expect the planning of the discharge to be based on co-operation between all the professions involved. We would also expect there to be a multi-disciplinary assessment of future care needs, involving both the patient and his or her family. The Department is currently working on a draft circular setting out the requirements for discharge and the planning to be undertaken.
The provision of good services depends on effective co-operation at the local level between the different professions, the patient and his or her family and, where appropriate, the local authority, voluntary agencies and the private sector. If a need for residential care is assessed, the local authority has a general duty, under part III of the National Assistance Act 1948, to provide residential care where this is not otherwise available.
§ Mr. WallTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what are the requirements for claimants of community care grants to give information on their social worker to his Department; and what kind of information social workers will be required to provide for his Department.
§ Mr. ScottApplicants for community care grants are not obliged to give information on their social worker nor is there any requirement that social workers must provide information to the social fund officer. Social workers will not be asked to make decisions on applications nor to assess priorities between individual clients—that is for the social fund officer. Social fund officers may contact social workers with the agreement of an applicant but this will be done, subject to strict confidentiality rules, solely 173W to clarify or supplement information in cases where the social services are also involved, for example on resettlement into the community.