HC Deb 09 December 1999 vol 340 c628W
Mr. Wyatt

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what plans he has to ensure that registration authorities for care homes will be required to(a) list staff registered with the General Social Care Council and (b) list staff not registered with the General Social Care Council, in annual inspection reports published by registration authorities; [101899]

(2) when he proposes to place proposed legislation for his General Social Care Council before the House; and when he plans for it to become operational; [101901]

(3) if he will create a new quality standard mark that care homes can display in their promotional material to indicate that all staff are registered with a national organisation; [101898]

(4) what duty will be imposed on managers of care homes to register their staff with his planned General Social Care Council. [101900]

Mr. Hutton

The Care Standards Bill, which includes legislative proposals for the General Social Care Council, was introduced into another place on 2 December 1999. We intend to establish the General Social Care Council on 1 April 2001.

We intend that the General Social Care Council will have the power to open a register for social care staff. In order to register with the Council an individual worker will need to have completed satisfactorily a period of training approved by the Council and to have satisfied the Council as to his or her being otherwise competent and safe to practice in social care.

When the Government believe that it will be a further safeguard to the public to restrict certain jobs to workers who are registered with the Council my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State will seek to make regulations for that purpose. Meanwhile there are no plans to offer a logo that can be displayed by care homes to indicate that staff are registered with the Council. The Care Standards Bill also contains proposals to create the National Care Standards Commission to register and regulate care homes. Registration with the Commission will be an appropriate indication that standards of quality are being monitored in a care home by a Government-sponsored body.

There are no plans to include information about staff registered with the General Social Care Council in inspection reports by the National Care Standards Commission.

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