§ Dr. CableTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what revisions of continuing care agreements have taken place following the Coughlan Appeal Court decision and his Department's instructions that these agreements should be reviewed; and, in particular, what changes have been made in relation to health and social service provision for people with learning disabilities. [110173]
§ Mr. HuttonThe information requested is not available centrally. We have asked all health authorities to review their eligibility criteria for continuing health care following the Coughlan judgment. Where authorities revise eligibility criteria following any review, they should consider what action they need to take to reassess service users against the revised criteria contained in HSC 73W 1999/180: LAC(99) 30. The guidance applies to all client groups including people with learning disabilities. Initial monitoring suggests that in only a few cases are there legal problems with these. We are continuing to monitor the situation.