§ Mr. Boris JohnsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what research his Department has commissioned on the provision of domiciliary care in Oxfordshire. [164103]
§ Dr. LadymanNo research has been commissioned on the provision of domiciliary c ire in Oxfordshire. However, the Department collects a range of data from councils with social services responsibilities and from the national health service through a series of statistical returns. These data inform policy development and inspection preparations nationally and are published to aid local planning and comparison. In addition, all councils submit a delivery and improvement statement twice annually and this contains information on performance for 2003–04.
258W
§ Sandra GidleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 22 March 2004,Official Report, column 598W, on older people, how the National Minimum Standards for Domiciliary Care Agencies are monitored; and what information is held centrally on compliance with the standard. [164257]
§ Dr. LadymanFrom 1 April 2004, the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) took over the regulatory responsibilities of the National Care Standards Commission. CSCI monitors National Minimum Standards (NMS) for domiciliary care agencies in the same way as it monitors NMS for all other services it regulates—through its registration and inspection actions.
Currently, the domiciliary care sector is being registered and only services assessed against the Regulations as fit are registered. At present, no information is held centrally on compliance with the NMS as the inspection programme has not yet begun. This will start later in 2004 and early in 2005. Results of inspections, including details of compliance with the NMS, will be held centrally on CSCI's registration and inspection database.
§ Sandra GidleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 22 March 2004, Official Report, column 598W, on older people, if he will place a copy of the standard on medication for domiciliary care agencies in the Library. [164258]
§ Dr. LadymanThe Domiciliary Care Agencies Regulations and National Minimum Standards for Domiciliary Care were published in January 2003. The regulations came into force on 1 April 2003. Regulation 14(6)(b) and standard 10 of the National Minimum Standards set out requirements and a standard in relation to procedures for assisting with medication and health related tasks. The Regulations and National Minimum Standards are both available in the Library.
§ Sandra GidleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will break down by region the domiciliary care agencies which have applied for registration. [164766]
§ Dr. LadymanThe information requested is set out in the table.
259W
Domiciliary care agencies which have applied for registration. Position at 29 March 2004
Region Registered Services
Applications outstanding
North East 126 97 East Midlands 62 236 South West 339 175 West Midlands 93 346 North West 241 413 London 200 319 South East 333 432 Eastern 104 408 Yorkshire and Humberside 148 187 Total 1,646 2,613
§ Sandra GidleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health of the domiciliary care agencies which have been registered with action plans, how many are(a) in the public sector and (b) privately owned. [164767]
§ Dr. LadymanAs at 29 March 2004, 855 domiciliary care agencies had been registered with conditions: 144 in the public sector, comprising three National Health Service agencies and 141 local authority agencies; and 711 independent agencies, comprising 613 private agencies, 79 voluntary agencies and 19 other agencies.
§ Sandra GidleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health of the domiciliary care agencies which have been fully registered, how many are(a) in the public sector and (b) privately run. [164771]
§ Dr. LadymanAs at 29 March 2004, there were 1,646 domiciliary care agencies registered. Of these, 296 were in the public sector, comprising 292 local authority services and four National Health Service services and 1,315 services were in the independent sector, comprising 1,156 private agencies and 159 voluntary agencies. In addition 35 other agencies were registered.
§ Sandra GidleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many domiciliary care agencies have been refused registration. [164772]
§ Dr. LadymanAs at 29 March 2004, six domiciliary care agencies have been refused registration, 2,613 applications are awaiting registration and the total number of agencies registered is 1646.
§ Sandra GidleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many domiciliary care agencies have been registered; and how many have been registered with action plans. [164773]
§ Dr. LadymanAs at 29 March, a total of 1,646 domiciliary care agencies had been registered, of which 855 had been registered with conditions.