§ Dr. GodmanTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many(a) private nursing homes for the elderly and (b) residential homes for the elderly have been closed down and for what reasons in (i) Strathcylde and (ii) Scotland as a whole in each of the past three years; and if he will make a statement.
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonWith regard to nursing homes, this information is not held centrally. This is a matter for individual health boards as registering authorities, which have the power under section 2 of the Nursing Homes Registration (Scotland) Act 1938, as amended, to cancel registration at any time if they consider that standards are not being maintained.
The information on the number of residential care homes is as follows:
Local Authority Registered Private and Voluntary Total 1 April 1991 to 31 March 1992 Strathclyde 0 4 4 Scotland 4 18 22 1 April 1992 to 31 March 1993 Strathclyde 2 3 5 Scotland 4 6 10 1 April 1993 to 31 March 1994 Strathclyde 9 2 11 Scotland 17 7 24 Information on the reasons for these closures is not held centrally. The data are not necessarily indicative of the quality of care provided. Most residential homes in Scotland maintain high standards of service provision.
75W