Community Equipment Services (Hansard, 5 November 2001)

§ Mr. Oaten
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what system is used to allocate budgets for community equipment services to local NHS trusts and social services departments. [R] [8718]

§ Jacqui Smith
National Health Service and social services community equipment services have their funding determined locally. Additional funding being made available to enable them to meet the NHS Plan targets is allocated through health authority allocations and local council personal social services spending assessments.

§ Mr. Oaten
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the NHS trusts and social services departments that have received funds from the community equipment services budget this financial year. [R] [8720]

§ Jacqui Smith
In addition to pre-existing levels of funding for community equipment services by health and social services, all National Health Service health authorities received additional funding for community equipment services in their general allocations in 2001–02. Where authorities have identified that additional funding is required, they will have allocated it to the appropriate organisation running the equipment service which may be an NHS trust, a primary care group or a social services department. Similarly, all local councils with personal social services received allocations from which they are expected to contribute not just previous funding but an increased amount towards achieving the community equipment services targets in the NHS Plan.

§ Mr. Oaten
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the national budget is for community equipment services for the 2001–02 financial year. [R] [8719]
98W

§ Jacqui Smith
£12 million has been allocated nationally to support the National Health Service to work towards achieving the NHS Plan targets in relation to community equipment services. We also took account of the need for additional investment in the personal social services settlement for 2001–02 to 2003–04 to enable councils to contribute an appropriate share to the expansion of these services. These amounts are in addition to pre-existing local funding for equipment services.