Care Homes — 7 Jan 2004 at 18:51

I beg to move,

That this House expresses its profound concern at the continuing crisis in care for elderly people; deplores the Government's over-prescriptive, expensive and bureaucratic regulation of the care home sector, which has greatly exacerbated the crisis in care and has led to many care home closures; condemns the loss of over 70,000 long term care places since 1997 and is gravely concerned that the number of people receiving domiciliary care has fallen by 100,000 since 1997; is further concerned that the implementation of the Community Care (Delayed Discharges etc.) Act 2003 will merely place an unfair financial burden on Social Services departments, and could lead to patients being discharged prematurely from hospital into inappropriate care, resulting in an increase in emergency readmissions; and calls on the Government to recognise the crisis in the provision of long term care for elderly people, to take action to reduce the current rate of care home closures and to combat the decline in the availability of domiciliary care, rather than simply disregard the crisis.

I beg to move, To leave out from "House" to the end of the Question, and to add instead thereof:

"welcomes the real terms increase in social services funding of 20 per cent. between 1997 and 2003, and the commitment to continue these increases by an annual 6 per cent. in real terms from this financial year to 2005–06; notes that councils are able to use these resources to increase fees they pay to care homes where they think necessary, with 2002–03 figures showing 56 per cent. of local councils in England and Wales increasing the fees they pay by at least 5 per cent; notes that the Laing & Buisson Care of Elderly People Market Survey published in July 2003 puts bed capacity in care homes from all sectors at 470,000 with demand estimated to be around 460,000; further notes that over 80 per cent. of older people say they want to live independently in their own homes for as long as possible; supports the Government's policy of improving choice by providing alternatives to residential care with 20,900 more households since 1998 receiving intensive home care packages, 143,200 additional people receiving intermediate care services since 1999, and a cash injection of £87 million to be spent on creating 1,500 new extra care housing places by 2006; and further supports the Government's policy of driving up care standards where the care is delivered and ensuring that older people are not held unnecessarily in acute hospital beds when their care needs can be better met elsewhere.'."

Question put, That the original words stand part of the Question:-

The House divided: Ayes 200, Noes 334.

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