Social Services (Hansard, 28 June 1994)

§ Mr. Gwilym Jones

[pursuant to his reply, 23 June 1994, Official Report, c. 274–75]: I regret that an incomplete answer was given. A full reply is as follows:

In June 1993, I published a consultation document "Inspecting Social Services in Wales". This set out proposals for applying three key principles of the citizens charter—that inspectors should be independent of the services they inspect, that lay people should be involved in inspections, and that inspection reports should be accessible to the public.

I intend that during 1994 there should be clear and demonstrable progress, both nationally and locally, towards the wider implementation of the citizens charter principles.

The social services inspectorate for Wales has already made considerable progress. For some years its inspection reports have been available to the public. A small group is 515W being established to advise on the social services inspectorate's inspection work; half its membership will represent service users, carers and wider lay interests, and half will be drawn from local authorities and providers of services in the independent sector. Since February 1994, inspection teams have begun to include lay assessors; inspection reports will take full account of their views and observations.

I propose to issue shortly, for a brief consultation, draft guidance on how the same principles should be applied to the work of "arm's-length" inspection units in local authority social services departments.

The new guidance will give local authority chief executives the important role of commissioning independent annual reports on the work of inspection units. These reports will focus on whether units apply the same standards to both local authority and independent provision, and on how effectively local authorities respond when improvements are shown to be needed.

The guidance will call for a change in the composition of advisory committees for inspection units. By the end of 1994 the number of lay people unconnected with the authority should be increased so that they form a majority on advisory committees.

I intend, too, that during 1994 we will begin to see lay people involved in social services inspections, and their views reflected in inspection reports. It will not be possible to include lay people in every inspection, but there must be substantial lay involvement on a regular and continuing basis.

The consultation document restated the Government's commitment to open reporting. I have been greatly encouraged to see that most county councils in Wales are already making inspection reports publicly available. I intend that by the end of 1994 this should be normal practice for all authorities.

This requirement for open reporting will cover joint inspections by local authorities and health authorities of premises dually registered as both residential care homes and nursing homes. I believe that progress towards joint working will be further helped if both sectors are working to the same citizens charter principles. I shall be consulting health authorities, nursing home associations and others about how this can best be done.