26. Mr. William O'BrienTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what provisions are being made for the new community care programme to ensure that improvements are introduced into the care of the elderly and the disabled; and if she will make a statement.
§ Mr. YeoThe introduction of assessment of individuals' care needs will ensure that services are increasingly tailored to need rather than need to services. Improved responsiveness to need will lead to a wider choice of services being delivered by an increasing variety of 535W providers. A total of £565 million is being made available to local authorities in 1993–94 through a ring-fenced special transitional grant to enable them to implement the new arrangements.
§ 27. Mrs. Helen JacksonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health when she last met representatives of the British Association of Social Workers to discuss the implementation of the community care proposals.
§ Mr. YeoI met representatives of the British Association of Social Workers on 11 November 1992. A number of issues were discussed including the implementation of community care.
§ Mr. Harry GreenwayTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people have been released into the community from psychiatric institutions in each of the past three years; and if she will make a statement.
§ Mr. YeoThe table shows the estimated number of discharges into the community from national health service hospitals in England from 1987–88 to 1989–90. The figures do not reflect the number of patients leaving hospitals, as a person can be discharged more than once during the year.
Discharges from national health service hospitals and units in England Year Number 1987–88 175,910 1988–89 182,903 1989–90 177,752
§ Mr. Nicholas WintertonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent representations she has received about the continuing closure of psychiatric hospitals and the finding of community care.
§ Mr. YeoWe have received seven representations from interested organisations and 57 from individuals since 1 January 1993 about the closure of psychiatric hospitals and the funding of community care.
§ 28. Mr. HeppellTo ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer of 8 February,Official Report, column 474, what information she has on the number of times permission was granted by the Secretary of State for the emigration of a child in care between 1967 and 14 October 1991.
§ Mr. YeoArchive papers are stored under the name of the individual child. As I explained in my answer of 8 February at column474, information regarding the numbers involved could be produced only at disproportionate cost.