§ Mr. OatenTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what plans he has to monitor the effectiveness of community equipment services; [4064]
(2) how many local authorities have established agreed budgets with their relevant NHS trust in relation to community equipment services; [4065]
(3) what targets he has set for the number of additional people who will have access to community equipment services. [4063]
§ Jacqui SmithThe NHS plan set targets for integrating community equipment services by 2004 and, by the same date, increasing the number of people benefiting from these services by 50 per cent. To reach these targets, all councils with social services responsibility are expected to draft plans for integration, agree them with the national health service locally, and have budgets agreed with NHS colleagues by April 2002. Information on early achievement of these targets is not held centrally.
The effectiveness of community equipment services will be monitored in a number of ways. These include regular statistical returns from councils with social services responsibilities and health authorities, monitoring through the social services inspectorate and scrutiny of local action plans. The Department is keeping the need for further performance measures under review, being advised by those in the field service users and others with an interest.