§ Mrs. Helen ClarkTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what estimate he as made of the numbers of(a) private and (b) local authority homes that (i) have closed and (ii) plan to close due to the higher standards of care set out in the Care Standards Act 2000; [30296]
(2) what financial assistance he will make available to local authorities to enable them to ensure that their care homes meet the standards set out in the Care Standards Act 2000; [30294]
(3) what financial assistance he will make available to enable private care homes to meet the standards set out in the Care Standards Act 2000; [30293]
(4) what date private nursing homes and residential units for the elderly must meet the standards of care stated in the Care Standards Act 2000. [30295]
§ Jacqui SmithThere is no evidence of a direct correlation between the introduction of national minimum standards under the Care Standards Act 2000 and the reduction in numbers of care home beds. Many providers already meet or exceed the standards and will have no reason to be concerned about them.
We do not consider it appropriate to provide direct financial assistance to care homes who do not meet the standards. However, we are providing significant additional resources for social services. Resources for social services have increased by 20.4 per cent. in real terms between 1996–97 and 2002–03, and average annual increase of 3.1 per cent. This means that local authorities have the resources they need to purchase services at realistic prices. In contracting with care homes we expect local authorities to take into account a range of provider 1068W costs such as implementing national standards. The additional resources include the £300 million that we announced on 9 October for this year and next.
The standards for care homes for older people will apply from 1 April 2002, unless otherwise stated in any standard. However, this does not mean that homes must meet all the standards immediately. If standards were not being met in a few respects, the National Care Standards Commission would note this in its inspection report and write to the home owner giving reasonable time in which to make the changes. The national minimum standards for care homes for older people were published on 2 March 2001 and a copy placed in the Library. The standards for care homes for younger adults were approved in December 2001 and are available on the Department of Health website (www.doh.gov.uk/ncsc). The final version will be published shortly and placed in the Library.
We are determined that the standards will be introduced in a way that will ensure that the application of the new standards does not lead to the closure of good quality homes. On 30 January I launched a package of measures to help smooth the introduction of the standards. This included statutory guidance to the Commission. In particular, the guidance says the Commission should consider whether care homes can fulfil the needs of service users without making environmental changes to meet the standards. The guidance particularly covers issues of room size, lifts, baths and shared rooms. The guidance has been welcomed by the major associations representing care homes, the Registered Nursing Homes Association, the National Care Homes Association and the Independent Health Care Association.
§ John AustinTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish guidance on those health care items which should be free at the point of delivery to people in care homes; and if he will make a statement. [34697]
§ Jacqui SmithAll items provided to people in care homes by the national health service are free at the point of delivery.
§ Tim LoughtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many residential homes have converted to nursing care homes since January 2001. [37606]
§ Jacqui SmithInformation on the number of residential care homes that have converted to nursing homes is not available centrally.