§ Paul FarrellyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the average waiting time and how many people are currently waiting for(a) assessment and (b) delivery and installation of home aids and adaptations by (i) Staffordshire, (ii) Cheshire, (iii) Derbyshire, (iv) Hertfordshire, (v) Lancashire, (vi) Lincolnshire, (vii) Leicestershire, (viii) Shropshire, (ix) Oxfordshire and (x) Northamptonshire social services department. [80496]
§ Jacqui SmithInformation is not collected centrally on the number of people waiting for assessment or delivery and installation of home aids and adaptations.
Information was collected for the first time on waiting times on the Referrals, Assessments and Packages of Care (RAP) return in 2000–1. Data is collected on the time waited from:
- (i) first contact to completed assessment;
- (ii) first contact to first service;
- (iii) first contact to provision or commission of all specified services in the care plan, where specified services excludes home aids and adaptations.
Seven of the authorities listed in the question did not submit any data for these items in 2000–01.
193WFor the authorities that did provide data on waiting times to first service, no information is available specifically on home aids and adaptations. Table 1 shows the actual length of time from first contact to first service for new clients in England for 2000–01. Data for 2001–2 will be available in February 2003.
Table 1 Actual length of time from first contact to first service for new clients England, 1 April 2000 to 31 March 2001 Rounded numbers Actual length of time from first contact to first service All client groups 115,000 Contact day or the following day 20,000 More than day following contact day up to 21,000 1 week More than 1 week up to 2 weeks 15,000 More than 2 weeks up to 6 weeks 28,000 More than 6 weeks up to 12 weeks 14,000 More than 12 weeks up to 6 months 9,400 More than 6 months 7,400 Actual figures for 52 Las
The information centrally available on delivery times is provided in the table 2.
Table 2—Performance Assessment Framework Indicator D38: Percentage of equipment items costing less than 1,000 delivered within 3 weeks in 2001–2 Local Authority Percentage of items of equipment costing less than £1,000 delivered within 3 weeks Cheshire 98 Derbyshire 99 Hertfordshire 83 Lancashire 91 Leicestershire 94 Lincolnshire 89 Northamptonshire 93 Oxfordshire 97 Shropshire 91 Staffordshire 83 The NHS Plan set targets for the integration of social services and health community equipment services and to increase the number of people benefiting from them by fifty per cent, both by 2004. Additionally. on 23 July 2002, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health made a statement to the House concerning services for older people. He announced that by December 2004 all items of community equipment will be delivered within seven working days. This target will also apply to minor adaptations made by community equipment services. New indicators will be introduced to monitor these targets.