§ Baroness Gardner of Parkesasked Her Majesty's Government:
What is their response to the evaluation report on the new models of continuing care accommodation for frail elderly patients.
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Baroness Hooper)The evaluation of new models of accommodation units for the continuous nursing care of highly dependent frail elderly patients ran from 1983 to 1988. We have received the report of the independent1160WA evaluation team from the Health Care Research Unit at Newcastle Universtiy, and they are now publishing their findings.
The project involved the creation within the National Health Service, and the evaluation, of three small, managerially independent, units situated away from a hospital site and under nurse management, as an alternative to the traditional long-stay hospital ward.
The evaluation concluded that the three units did provide good quality care, and were not more expensive than traditional long stay wards. Key points for the success of the experiment were the delegation of management to the heads of the units, the positive attitudes of the heads and of all the staff towards innovations in service delivery, the provision of single rooms or of personal space for the residents which they could fill with their own possessions, and an informal style of care.
We welcome the evaluation report, and in particular the emphasis placed on personal space and an informal style of care. In our recent White Paper, Caring for People (Cmnd. 849, paragraph 4.22), we stressed the value of these factors in providing continuous nursing care, which in our view is best provided in small units. Although we support the principle of care in the community wherever possible, we recognise that there will be some patients who will require long-term in-patient care through the National Health Service. The key to providing the care which is appropriate for an individual's needs is proper assessment, which is another of the principles of the White Paper. It is for each district health authority to decide locally on the level and nature of the services it provides, in the light of the available resources.