§ Mr. Tony ClarkeTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many beds are available for the elderly in care homes in Northampton; and how many were available on average in(a) 2001 and (b) 1997. [186515]
§ Dr. LadymanThe table shows the number of places available for people aged 65 and over in residential and nursing homes in Northamptonshire, at 31 March for the years 1997 and 2001.
Number of care home places for people aged 65 and over in Northamptonshire, 1997 and 2001
As at 31 March Rounded numbers Residential Nursing2,3 1997 2,870 — 2001 2,920 1,640 Notes: 1Figures for residential care are for Northamptonshire local authority and for nursing care they are for Northamptonshire health authority 2Nursing home figures include places in general nursing homes, mental nursing homes and private hospitals and clinics. 3Information is not available by age#band at health authority level for 1997. Data for Northampton are not centrally available.
I understand from the chair of the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) that figures for later years were collected by the National Care Standards Commission, and now CSCI, but comparable details are not available.