HC Deb 25 April 2002 vol 384 cc456-8W
Mr. Burstow

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received regarding people being placed inappropriately in(a) residential care homes and (b) nursing homes. [50069]

Jacqui Smith

[holding answer 17 April 2002]: In recent years the Department of Health has received representations about inappropriate placements. Systematic information on these representations is not collated.

The introduction of the single assessment process, and the development of preventative and intermediate care services, will help to ensure that placements in care homes are appropriate. I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 26 March 2002, Official Report, column 926W.

Mr. Burstow

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) pursuant to his answer of 26 March 2002,Official Report, column 942W, regarding free nursing care, which agencies have failed to pass on the free nursing care payment to residents; [50561]

(2) pursuant to his answer of 26 March 2002, Official Report, column 942W, regarding free nursing care, whether she has received further representations regarding failures to pass on the free nursing care payments to residents; [50565]

(3) pursuant to his answer of 26 March 2002, Official Report, column 942W, regarding free nursing care, what plans she has to provide additional funding to residents of the four homes she wrote to which have failed to receive financial benefit from their free nursing care payment; [50562]

(4) pursuant to his answer of 26 March 2002, Official Report, column 942W, regarding free nursing care, whether she will also be writing to these care homes to inform them of the breach in national model contract. [50860]

Jacqui Smith

[holding answer 17 April 2002]: I continue to receive correspondence on this subject. I wrote to some national providers about the increases in fees that some residents had experienced since the introduction of national health service funded nursing care. It should not be inferred that all those providers have, in every case, failed to pass on to residents any financial benefit from the NHS funding for part of their care. I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave him on 26 March 2002, Official Report, column 942W.

Mr. Burstow

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 19 March 2002,Official Report, column 310W, on care homes, when the booklet, 'Moving into a Care Home', was published; how much the booklet cost to produce and distribute; and what other means are being considered to ensure the widest possible circulation; and how much the new booklet has cost to produce. [50076]

Jacqui Smith

[holding answer 17 April 2002]: The booklet 'Moving into a Care Home' was published in October 1996. It focused on financial issues for residents. At today's prices, it would cost approximately £10,000 to produce and distribute 3,000 copies of the original booklet free of charge to councils and other interested parties. The booklet was drafted and consulted upon by departmental staff. These and related costs were absorbed within the Department's running costs and are not separately identifiable, and therefore not included in the cost given above.

A voluntary organisation called 'Counsel and Care' has been commissioned to produce a new booklet for people both entering and in residential care that will be much more detailed and cover a much wider range of topics in addition to residents' finances. It will be distributed on the same basis. In addition, an electronic version will be placed on the internet. The Department awarded a grant of £80,000 for Counsel and Care for this work, which will also include the costs of dissemination events in the form of conferences and seminars.

Vernon Coaker

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to ensure the availability of sufficient residential and nursing home places for the elderly. [49924]

Jacqui Smith

Our policy is to enable older people to remain independent in their own homes wherever possible. That is where most people want to receive care. Between 2000 and 2001 there was a 6 per cent. increase in the number of households receiving intensive home care.

We are providing local authorities with an additional £300 million over this year and last to spend on a range of community care services, including care home placements. In addition, as announced on 17 April by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer, we intend to increase resources for personal social services by an annual average of 6 per cent. in real terms from 2003–04 to 2005–06. Local authorities will be able to use these substantial extra resources to stabilise the care home market and to provide more care home places.

I chair a Strategic Commissioning Group, which aims to improve the commissioning of care services for adults. Last October, the group published an agreement, "Building Capacity and Partnership in Care", which will help councils and independent sector providers to work together to promote a more strategic, inclusive and consistent approach to local capacity planning.