§ Mr. DrewTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what timetable he proposes for the changes to social services departments announced recently. [76996]
§ Jacqui Smith[holding answer 28 October 2002]:At the Annual Social Services Conference on 16 October my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State, set out a number of proposals for changes to the way services are delivered. Our plans for implementation include:
Children's trusts: We plan to establish pilots for children's trusts during 2003.Reimbursement: It is hoped subject to parliamentary time, to introduce legislation, which will allow us to implement reimbursement for delayed discharge from hospital.Care trusts: The first four care trusts were established on 1 April 2002. A further five sites are now working to develop care trust proposals locally, to be up and running by April 2003.Regulation for direct payments: Regulations to ensure all older people assessed as having care needs are provided with the choice of direct payments will be issued for consultation shortly with the intention to implement by January 2003.Strategic commissioning group report: I have asked the strategic commissioning group to report to me in 2003, on how local voluntary and community organisations could play a bigger part in the delivery of social services.Less bureaucracy: We have reduced significantly the number of planning documents associated with social services grants from seven this year to two next year, and to one the year after.Greater freedoms: From the next financial year the best performing social services departments will have the freedom to spend social services grant on any aspect of social care, the right to carry out resources between financial years, less form filling and less inspection. We are currently discussing with my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister further freedoms for the best performing councils.