Private Nursing Homes (Hansard, 4 July 1989)

§ Mr. Hinchliffe
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he has any proposals to enable district health authorities or local authorities to top up the financial contributions that residents in private residential or nursing care pay towards the costs of their care where the residents concerned have entered private care because the authorities cannot provide such care.

§ Mr. Mellor
In his report on community care, Sir Roy Griffiths made recommendations for the future funding of patients in private nursing and residential care homes. We are considering these and will bring forward our proposals before the summer recess.

§ Mr. Hinchliffe
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will introduce provisions for a right to stay in private residential or nursing home care for residents whose financial resources are no longer sufficient to meet their residential fees.

§ Mr. Mellor
No. The arrangements for people living in a private residential care or nursing home are for the proprietor and the individual concerned. Statutory services remain as an alternative source of care.

§ Mr. Hinchliffe
To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will take action to deal with the practice of private residential and nursing homes charging for extras over and above their quoted fees and imposing such charges after people have been in residence for a considerable time;
(2) what is his policy on allowing private residential and nursing homes to obtain medical requisites from the National Health Service and selling them to residents at a profit.

§ Mr. Freeman
The level of fees in private nursing or residential care homes is a matter for the proprietor and 151W the patient and not something on which we would wish to intervene. However we would expect the fees to cover all necessary services, including medical requisites. It makes sense for proprietors to buy requisites at the best possible price and for the patient to share in any consequent savings.

§ Mr. David Hinchliffe
To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what action he is taking to ensure that the full hospital discharge procedure, outlined in his Department's draft circular issued during early 1988, is followed when hospitals are discharging patients into private residential or nursing homes;
(2) what guidance his Department offers to authorities in relation to patients discharged from hospitals whose only option on discharge is to enter private residential or nursing care which they cannot afford;
(3) what rights an individual patient who is being discharged from hospital care has to dispute his allocation to private residential or nursing care;
(4) who is responsible for arranging the care of a patient whom a hospital consultant states must be discharged but needs continuing 24-hour care.

§ Mr. Freeman
Circular HC(89)5 which was issued to health authorities in February 1989, together with a booklet "Discharge of Patients from Hospital" emphasised that proper arrangements should be made for any necessary continuing care before patients are discharged from hospital. Arrangements, including care in a private residential or nursing home, should be made in good time and be acceptable to the patient and his/her relatives or carers. No NHS patient should be placed in a private nursing or residential care home against his/her wishes if it means that she or he will be personally responsible for the home's charges. Future responsibility for care will be a matter for local arrangement.