HC Deb 03 July 2002 vol 388 c447W
Mr. Burstow

To ask the Secretary of State for Health 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. [65105]

Jacqui Smith

Improvements in general practitioners (GPs) computer systems completed at the end of March 2002 mean that all GPs are able to record, as part of patient records, details of whether a person is a carer. They are encouraged to do so in order to facilitate the process of sign-posting carers to relevant services.

Mr. Burstow

To ask the Secretary of State for Health 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. [65102]

Jacqui Smith

The performance indicator for 2000–01 for the number of informal carers receiving an assessment as a proportion of the total number of clients and carers receiving assessments was published in October 2001. Details of where assessments took place are not available.

Mr. Burstow

To ask the Secretary of State for Health 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. [65101]

Jacqui Smith

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 9 July 2001,Official Report, column 344W. My hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health (Ms Blears) summarised recent progress on implementing the national strategy for carers in a debate on 12 June 2002, Official Report, column 273WH.

Mr. Burstow

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will set out the timetable for the establishment of a fund to support the development of carers services under the Carers and Disabled Children Act 2000. [65056]

Jacqui Smith

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 17 June 2002,Official Report, column 152W.