§ Mr. BurstowTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will set out the timetable for considering the 343W establishment of a fund to support the development of carers services under the Carers and Disabled Children Act 2000; [2809]
(2) if he will set out the criteria against which progress in implementing the National Carers Strategy is monitored; by what means progress is reported to the House; and when progress was last reported; [2970]
(3) when he plans to publish the performance framework indicator for the number of carer assessments; if he will ensure that the assessments evaluate the proportion of carers assessed at the point of hospital discharge; and if he will make a statement; [2810]
(4) if he will undertake an evaluation of the appropriateness of support offered to carers as part of strategies to reduce the number of delayed discharges from hospital; [2813]
(5) when his Department last reviewed guidance on hospital discharge with respect to carers' needs; and what arrangements are in place to monitor compliance with the guidance; [2811]
(6) if he will make a statement on progress towards implementing the National Carers Strategy requirement that general practitioners should have procedures in place to identify carers by April 2002. [2808]
§ Jacqui SmithThe Hospital Discharge Workbook, issued in 1994, gives guidance to the national health service, social services and other agencies on hospital discharge procedures. The workbook emphasises that the patient and carer should be made fully aware of arrangements for discharge and understand fully what is going to happen. Before an individual is discharged, checks should be made by the discharge nurse to ensure that discharge arrangements take place as planned. The chief executive of the hospital trust is responsible for ensuring that discharges take place appropriately. Work will begin soon on revising the hospital discharge workbook.
The NHS Plan acknowledged that health and social services need to do more to shape services around the needs and preferences of individual patients, their families and their carers. During 2002, old T people, and where appropriate their carers, will be involved in agreeing a personal care plan, which they will hold. The personal care plan will document their current package of health and social care, their care co-ordinator, monitoring arrangements, and a list of key contacts for rapid response at home and in emergencies.
We are continuing to provide additional resources to local authorities specifically to improve the working arrangements between local authorities and the NHS. The new Promoting Independence Grant is specifically aimed at fostering partnership between health and social services in promoting the independence of adults needing community care services. The grant will encourage these partnerships to improve their arrangements for multidisciplinary assessment and hospital discharge (including rehabilitation and recuperation services).
In addition, we have pledged to consider the establishment of a fund to support the development of carers services under the Carers and Disabled Children Act 2000. We have already begun preliminary discussions with key stakeholders.
344WThe performance indicator for the number of informal carers receiving an assessment as a proportion of the total number of clients and carers receiving assessments will be published for the first time in autumn 2001. The indicator is based on information provided by local councils with social services responsibilities. Details of where the assessment took place are not available; therefore, the proportion of carers assessed at the point of hospital discharge can not be separately calculated.
Requirements for Accreditation (RFA99) issued in October 1999 included the requirements for general practitioner computer systems to include a field where the details of carers could be entered. This, aligned with all GPs having access to a desktop computer as part of project connect programme by the end of March 2002, will mean that GPs will be prompted to ask for carer details as part of the registration details of patients. When entered this information will form part of the patient record.
Progress in implementing the national carers strategy is measured against the criteria set out in the National Carers Strategy and summarised on pages 5–7 of the Strategy. Specific initiatives which take forward the strategy, such as the increases to the Carers Grant, are announced to the House at the appropriate time, and information about the implementation of the measures published as appropriate. For example the analysis which we commissioned from the Kings Fund of local authorities' carers plans for 1999–2000 was published in February 2001. The social services inspectorate's monitoring of local authorities includes questions regarding the implementation of the national carers strategy. The results will be published in the autumn.