§ Mr. RedmondTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what safeguards are in force to avoid misuse of long-term patients' private money savings by hospital authorities;
(2) what safeguards are currently in force to prevent the misuse of patients' moneys when a long-stay patient is transferred from a national health service hospital into a private nursing home; and if he will make a statement;
(3) if he will list for what purposes long-stay patients' private moneys can be used by hospital authorities.
§ Mr. DorrellGuidance to health authorities on the custody, deposit, investment and disposal of patients' money is contained in HM(71)90, a copy of which is in the Library. Patients' moneys may be used in a variety of ways provided these are to the personal benefit of the patient and take account of their wishes in so far as these can be ascertained. They may not be spent by health authorities on items which authorities themselves are responsible for providing. Where a patient is discharged from NHS care into a private nursing home, the patient's money may not be retained by the NHS. If the patient is not capable of arranging his own affairs, the circumstance should be brought to the attention of the Court of Protection, which is responsible for ensuring the proper expenditure of any funds and that the proper benefits are claimed. The Department will be writing to health authorities and NHS trusts to ensure that both directly managed units and NHS trusts observe good practice in handling these moneys.