§ Mrs. CaltonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what assessment the Government have made of the number of care homes which will be unable financially to meet the requirements of the Care Standards Act 2000, broken down by(a) constituency and (b) local authority and region; [61891]
(2) what assessment the Government have made of the number of care homes which fall short of the standards set in the Care Standards Act 2000, due to come into force in 2006–07, broken down by (a) constituency and (b) local authority and region; [61887]
243W(3) what provision the Government have made for people who will be displaced by their care home failing to meet the standards laid down in the Care Standards Act 2000, broken down by (a) constituency and (b) local authority and region; [61889]
(4) what assistance the Government have made available towards the additional resources required by social services departments to meet the shortfall in provision for people who will be displaced by their care homes failing to meet the standards laid down in the Care Standards Act 2000; [61888]
(5) what assessment the Government have made of the numbers of people who will be displaced by the Care Standards Act 2000, broken down by (a) constituency and (b) local authority and region. [61890]
§ Jacqui SmithIt will be for the National Care Standards Commission to decide in the particular circumstances of each individual home whether the home conforms to the standards necessary to meet the assessed needs of its residents. The standards were extensively consulted on and the Department has no evidence to suggest that large numbers of care homes will be unable to meet them. The Commission will form a more detailed picture of care homes' compliance with the national standards as it completes its first cycle of inspections of providers in England during 2002–03.
Care home closures may occur for many reasons. It is for local authorities, in their role as commissioners of care, to have contingency plans in place, drawn up in consultation with service providers, to deal with care home closures. Local authorities have a responsibility for making alternative arrangements for anyone that they place in a home which subsequently closes.
We have not allocated resources to social services departments specifically to meet any local short fall in care home provision. However, we are increasing total resources available for social services by an average of 6 per cent. a year in real terms over the next three years (2003–04 to 2005–06). These increases follow average annual real terms increases of more than 3 per cent. between 1996–97 and 2002–03 including a 3.6 per cent. real terms increase this year (2002–03). These substantial increases in resources, in particular over the next three years, will enable local authorities to deliver the improvements to social services to which the Government are committed. Additional resources were also included in these budgets to help providers with the costs of meeting key national minimum standards. This means that local authorities have the resources they need to purchase services at realistic prices.