Written Answers - Community Care.
Trevor Sargent
Question:
295
Mr. Sargent
asked the
Minister for Health and Children
the plans, if any, he has to fund adequate community care as outlined in Government policy in order that people can live with dignity in their own homes with support for carers.
[23400/98]
Current policy towards the care of older people is guided by the Years Ahead — A Policy for the Elderly, which was published in 1988. The cornerstone of this policy is to support people at home in dignity and independence and when this is no longer possible to ensure that ill and dependent older people have access to the highest quality hospital and residential care when they require it.
In 1997, the National Council on Ageing and Older People, which is the statutory advisory group set up to advise the Government on all matters affecting older people, published a comprehensive review of how policy is being implemented. This review identified a number of service areas where improvements are required, particularly community support for older people and their carers. It is my intention to address these issues, on a phased basis, as resources permit.
In recent years, additional resources have been provided to develop community support services. For example, professional support staff have been appointed by the Eastern Health Board to work with older people in their homes. These are known as community ward teams and they facilitate the early planned discharge of older people from acute general hospitals by the provision of rehabilitation and care in the person's home. They also prevent, or delay, the admission of older people to long stay care and enhance other service supports including public health nursing, day care, carer support and respite services.
In 1998, the capital programme for older people has been more than doubled which will enable an additional 200 day care places and 30 respite places to be put in place.
In relation to mental handicap services a range of support services are provided by both the health boards and voluntary mental handicap services to assist carers of persons with a mental handicap, including respite care and home support services. Respite care is provided in a number of ways. In some cases it is provided in a residential setting and in others it is also provided by host families through the various "Share a Break" schemes.
The home support services were initiated in 1992 with the purpose of providing additional support to carers where persons with a mental handicap were either waiting for placements in either day or residential services or wished to continue to live with their families. The response to the services from both carers and agencies has been very positive as these services enable agencies to respond to individual family's needs in a flexible manner and with a package of care which is designed in consultation with the carers.
Substantial additional funding was provided between 1990-8 for the development of new services to persons with a mental handicap and includes investment in respite care services and enhancement of the home support services. These services will continue to be expanded in line with the needs identified in Assessment of Need for Services to Persons with a Mental Handicap — 1997-2001
As set out in An Action Programme for the Millennium, this Government is committed to ensure that the needs and aspirations of people with disabilities, their families, carers and advocates are comprehensively addressed. With regard to the provision of health services for people with physical and sensory disabilities, this commitment comprehends the implementation of the recommendations set out in Towards an Independent Future. I am satisfied that the additional money made available to date by this Government represents a major step towards implementing the recommendations of the report. More than £19 million has been provided in the past 12 months for the development of services for people with physical and sensory disabilities.
I fully accept the need to provide greater support for carers and this is being actively considered in the context of the availability of additioal resources in 1999.
