Care Homes (Hansard, 17 March 2004)

§ Sandra Gidley
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps are being taken to ensure that appropriate procedures are being put in place to monitor the quality and effectiveness of methods for dealing with complaints in relation to care homes, in the transition from the National Care Standards Commission to the Commission for Social Care Inspection. [161830]

§ Dr. Ladyman
The Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) will, at least initially, continue to use the same procedures that the National Care Standards Commission uses for dealing with complaints about regulated services and monitoring the quality and effectiveness of those procedures.
387W
The CSCI Commissioners have endorsed a decision to set up a CSCI complaints project board. One of the board's key objectives will be to review the effectiveness of the current arrangements for handling complaints about regulated providers under the Care Standards Act.

§ Sandra Gidley
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action he plans to take to investigate price differentials between self-funded and publicity-funded residents in care homes, in order to establish whether there is evidence of cross-subsidisation. [161831]

§ Dr. Ladyman
It is not unusual for service providers to charge different prices, nor to offer discounts for bulk purchasing, for example when councils block contract for a number of places. Care homes are required to provide transparent information so that future residents are aware of the full charge that will be made for the service.

§ Sandra Gidley
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the decision by the Office of Fair Trading to undertake an investigation into the care home market .[161833]

§ Dr. Ladyman
The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has acknowledged the complexity and changing nature of the care home market, but has also found evidence that the challenges this throws up can and is being met at local level. This confirms the Government's view that local problems are most amenable to local solutions. I am particularly heartened by the OFT's decision to focus in some depth on issues that have a particular bearing on information and choice for consumers. I look forward to reading the findings when they are produced, especially any recommendations for making the market work better for consumers.