§ Mr. David NicholsonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Health, what steps she is taking to strengthen the process of consultation on community care plans and to ensure that the independent sector providers of community care services are fully consulted.
§ Mr. YeoIndependent sector providers, voluntary sector organisations and users and carers have a great deal of knowledge and experience to contribute to the development of community care. Authorities must form strong partnerships with all three if they are to develop services which are best suited to meeting people's needs and which provide a real choice. Community care planning is an important part of that process.
We have today issued for consultation with local authorities and other interested parties a draft statutory direction under the National Health Service and Community Care Act 1990 and accompanying guidance. Copies are available in the Library. Local authorities are already required to consult a wide range of people including voluntary sector organisations representing the interests of users and carers as well as statutory bodies in preparing their community care plans. The proposed direction extends that requirement to include representatives of independent sector providers. It will also require authorities to include in their plans a statement on how they intend to conduct the process of consultation in the next round.
The direction and guidance are intended to ensure that the consultation process allows all concerned to make their views known as effectively as possible and in a way which is helpful both to the authority and those being consulted. They will also ensure that independent sector providers are properly involved in community care planning. There are 295W obvious problems for authorities in seeking to consult many separate individual providers. To have an effective voice independent sector providers must make their views known collectively through representatives rather than individually. The direction encourages them to do this.