§ Sandra GidleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many of(a) the total number of applicants for NHS continuing care funding and (b) the number of successful applicants who are awarded continuing care suffer from (i) a form of dementia and Alzheimer's disease; and if he will make a statement;[185991]
(2) how many people in receipt of NHS continuing care are (a) living in their own home, (b) living in a care home and (c) in hospital, broken down by strategic health authority; and if he will make a statement; [185995]
(3) what the average funding per week is for those who receive fully funded NHS continuing care; and if he will make a statement. [186008]
§ Dr. LadymanThe Department does not routinely collect, or hold, this data centrally.
§ Sandra GidleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what action NHS bodies have taken to make local people aware of the available process for review of cases where applicants may have been wrongly denied NHS continuing care. [185992]
§ Dr. LadymanContinued national coverage, through the media and the health service ombudsman's reports, has ensured a high level of awareness and National Health Service bodies have used a range of actions to further improve awareness of the recompense process. These methods include working with voluntary bodies, local media interviews, advertising within local newspapers or other publications and case finding.
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§ Sandra GidleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what the average length of time is between a local health authority making a decision about an applicant's eligibility for NHS continuing care and informing the applicant about that decision; [185997]
(2) what the average length of time taken to process an application for fully funded NHS continuing care is, broken down by strategic health authority; and if he will make a statement. [186007]
§ Dr. LadymanThis data is not collected by the Department. As stated in Directions, published earlier this year, when an individual has been assessed for fully funded National Health Service continuing care and is dissatisfied with the outcome, a review should be completed
within two weeks of the individual registering their dissatisfaction.
A Written Ministerial Statement made to the House 22 June 2004, stated that it is expected that all reviews as a result of the Health Service Ombudsman's 2003 report will be completed within two months of all the information on the case being received by the strategic health authority.
§ Sandra GidleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many rejected applications for NHS continuing care since 2000 have been overturned following an appeal, broken down by strategic health authority; and if he will make a statement. [185998]
Dr. Lady manMy written statement, of 22 June 2004, Official Report, column 78WS, details the number of cases which, as a result of the Health Service Ombudsman's 2003 report, have undergone a retrospective review, and the number found to have been wrongly assessed, broken down by strategic health authority.
§ Sandra GidleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how often a person in receipt of NHS continuing care must be re-assessed to ascertain whether they are still eligible for this funding; and if he will make a statement. [185999]
§ Dr. LadymanAs care is needs based, individuals should be reassessed when their needs change to ensure that they continue to receive the correct level and type of care. This was reiterated and reinforced in the Continuing Care (National Health Service Responsibilities) Directions.