House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 12 Oct 2009 (pt 0172)

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	Bolton PCT^{( 1)}	Greater Manchester strategic health authority (SHA)^{( 2'3)}
2004-05
Number setting a quit date⁽³⁾	2,336	39,131
Number of successful quitters⁽⁴⁾	1,749	18,973
2005-06
Number setting a quit date⁽³⁾	3,846	45,282
Number of successful quitters⁽⁴⁾	2,158	21,383
2006-07
Number setting a quit date⁽³⁾	4,742	44,177
Number of successful quitters⁽⁴⁾	2,206	21,174
2007-08
Number setting a quit date⁽³⁾	5,724	52,405
Number of successful quitters⁽⁴⁾	2,320	22,838
2008-09
Number setting a quit date⁽³⁾	3,934	49,100
Number of successful quitters⁽⁴⁾	1,718	20,153
⁽¹⁾ Bolton PCT was unaffected by the PCT restructuring which took place in October 2006. ⁽²⁾ Figures for Greater Manchester SHA were calculated using the constituent PCTs for 2004-05 to 2006-07. Although this SHA did not exist in subsequent years as a result of restructuring, the new PCTs which the constituent old PCTs mapped to have been identified in order to produce figures on the same basis for comparability in 2007-08. ⁽³⁾ These data are based on figures collected through the quarterly stop smoking services data collection return. If a person sets more than one quit date in the quarter, the details of each attempt should be recorded on the form. ⁽⁴⁾ A client is counted as having successfully quit smoking at the four week follow-up if he/she has not smoked at all since two weeks after the quit date. Notes: 1. The figures provided for 2004-05, 2005-06 and 2006-07 have been extracted from the corresponding annual Statistics on NHS stop smoking services in England report for each of these years. These publications have already been placed in the Library. 2. Bolton PCT figures provided for 2007-08 and 2008-09 have been extracted from the corresponding annual Statistics on NHS stop smoking services in England report for each of these years. Greater Manchester SHA figures were not published in these later reports⁽²⁾. These publications have already been placed in the Library. 3. On the basis that the clinical viewpoint tends to be that a client should not be counted as a 'failure' if he/she has smoked in the difficult first days after the quit date, a client is counted as having successfully quit smoking if he/she has not smoked at all since two weeks after the quit date. The four week follow-up (and Carbon Monoxide (CO) validation, if appropriate) must be completed within six weeks of the quit date. Persons not contacted within this time are treated as lost to follow-up for evaluation purposes. 4. Only people who set a quit date through the NHS stop smoking services are included in the quarterly monitoring returns, those who attend the service but do not set a quit date are not included. 5. NHS stop smoking services data are based on the PCTs which provide the service. People using their services are not necessarily resident in that PCT. 6. The information centre for health and social care collects data from the NHS stop smoking services as part of the NHS stop smoking services quarterly monitoring returns forms, undertaken since 2005 on behalf of the Department. Source: The Information Centre for health and social care

Social Services

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to increase provision of social care support in (a) England and (b) Coventry. [289302]

Phil Hope: The direction of travel for adult social care is set out in "Putting People First", the shared vision and commitment to the transformation of adult social care, published in December 2007. It is confirmed in the Green Paper, "Shaping the Future of Care Together", which was published in July this year.

"Putting People First" commits to significant change by April 2011. It confirms that reform of social care can only be delivered through partnership across central and local government. It is holistic in its approach to delivering social care services for all individuals in the community, not just those eligible for statutory support.

"Putting People First" clearly sets out a vision of a universal offer to the entire community, including social care service users. Not only will this increase the provision of social care support, but the strategic shift towards prevention and early intervention services is designed to provide more help to people with lower level care needs, to reduce the likelihood that they will need more intensive services in the longer term and to help them retain their independence.

By the end of 2009-10, this Government will have increased local government funding by 45 per cent. in real terms since 1997. These are unprecedented rises in funding to local councils and provide the resources they need to improve the provision of care and support for their populations.

The Department is investing circa £3.5 billion over this comprehensive spending review period to support improvements in the provision of social care. In particular, the social care reform grant will provide over £500 million for the reform and transformation of adult social care. In 2009-10, Coventry will receive approximately £8 million of revenue and capital grants from the Department to help support this agenda.

For the longer term, the Green Paper, "Shaping the Future of Care Together", together with the public consultation, "The Big Care Debate", which will run until 13 November, is addressing the national and local challenges we face in providing care and support in the future.

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the Government are taking to ensure consistent levels of provision of social care support across the country. [289303]

Phil Hope: The fairer access to care services (FACS) guidance has just been revised and is out for consultation until 6 October 2009.

The Commission for Social Care Inspectorate's (CSCI) state of social care report 2006-07 identified a trend for councils to raise their eligibility thresholds and the potential implications for people seeking support. In the light of recommendations made by CSCI in their report "Cutting the Cake Fairly: CSCI review of eligibility criteria for social care" (October 2008), the Government worked with stakeholders to revise the FACS guidance. The revision of the FACS guidance is aimed at bringing about improvements to the system as it currently stands, making implementation fairer and more consistent for people seeking support and reinforcing the current direction of policy established by "Putting People First", a copy of which has already been placed in the Library.

The "Fairer Contribution Guidance" was also published on 14 July 2009 to accompany the existing "Fairer Charging guidance". Copies have been placed in the Library. This provides councils with a model to help them decide how much (if anything) a person should contribute to their personal budget. Councils will be expected to implement the "Fairer Contributions Guidance" by March 2010.

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department provides to local authorities on application of criteria of (a) substantial and (b) critical needs in decisions on eligibility for adult social care services; what powers local authorities have to limit provision of such services to people with those categories of need; and if he will make a statement. [289304]

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Phil Hope: The Fairer Access to Care Services (FACS) guidance (June 2003), a copy of which has already been placed in the Library, sets a framework to help local authorities identify those people who are eligible for social care services. The FACS guidance sets out four eligibility bands of criteria (Critical, Substantial, Moderate and Low).

The Commission for Social Care Inspectorate's (CSCI) State of Social Care report 2006-07 identified a trend for councils to raise their eligibility thresholds and the potential implications for people seeking support. In the light of recommendations made by CSCI in their report "Cutting the Cake Fairly: CSCI review of eligibility criteria for social care" (October 2008), the Government have been working with stakeholders to revise the FACS guidance and this is out for consultation until 6 October 2009.

The revision of the FACS guidance is aimed at bringing about improvements to the system as it currently stands, making implementation fairer and more consistent for people seeking support and reinforcing the current direction of policy established by "Putting People First", a copy of which has already been placed in the Library.

The Fairer Contribution Guidance was published on 14 July 2009 to accompany the existing Fairer Charging Guidance. Copies have been placed in the Library. This provides councils with a model to help them decide how much (if anything) a person should contribute to their personal budget. Councils will be expected to implement the Fairer Contributions Guidance by March 2010.

Local authorities must ensure that everyone who is eligible for social care has their needs met.

Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many packages of care were provided by local authorities to clients with (a) physical disability and (b) rheumatoid arthritis in the latest year for which figures are available; and at what (i) gross and (ii) net cost. [289456]

Phil Hope: Central data collated in 2007-08, show that the number of adults (aged 18 and over) with a physical disability or sensory impairment and receiving care services was 221,000 adults (aged 18-64) and 1.045 million adults (aged 65 and over).

The gross current expenditure on adults aged 18-64 with a physical disability or sensory impairment was £1.48 billion in 2007-08, and the net current expenditure on adults aged 18-64 with a physical disability or sensory impairment was £1.39 billion in 2007-08.

Data are not collected centrally on the gross and net costs of adults aged 65 and over with a physical disability or individually broken down to show packages of care for rheumatoid arthritis and the associated costs.

Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the Care Quality Commission plans to conduct a State of Social Care review for (a) 2008-09 and (b) 2009-10. [290394]

Phil Hope: The Health and Social Care Act 2008 requires the Care Quality Commission to report annually on the provision of national health service care during the year, the provision of adult social care services during the year, and the carrying on of regulated activities
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during the year. The Care Quality Commission has informed us it is planning an integrated report on the state of health care and adult social care in England. It will lay its first annual report to Parliament to cover the year 2008-09 and its second report will cover the year 2009-10.

Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when in 2010 he plans to publish a White Paper on social care. [290396]

Phil Hope: The care and support Green Paper, 'Shaping the Future of Care Together', announced that the Government will publish a White Paper in 2010. The consultation on the Green Paper will run until 13 November 2009 and we will make further announcements about the timing of the White Paper in due course.

Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the merits of making changes to the Disability Living Allowance programme as part of his proposals on social care. [290398]

Jonathan Shaw: I have been asked to reply.

The Green Paper "Shaping the Future of Care Together" set out the reasons for considering the future role of disability benefits in the context of the social care review. It proposed that one option is to bring some disability benefits and the new social care system together into a single system, as a better way of providing support. However, it is important to note that this is a consultation exercise for long-term reform and no final decisions have been made on the specific merits of changing the Disability Living Allowance programme. We are seeking the views of all stakeholders in further developing these proposals.

Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health during which month in 2010 he expects his Department's White Paper on care and support to be published. [291863]

Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to page 106 of his Department's Green Paper, "Shaping the Future of Care Together", on what evidence the estimate that a quarter or a third of basic care and support costs could be paid for by the state was based; and what estimate he made of the cost of (a) a quarter and (b) a third of all annual care and support. [291865]

Phil Hope: The Personal Social Services Research Unit (PSSRU) at the University of Kent and the London School of Economics have carried out analysis to model the cost of the Green Paper funding options. The statement that under partnership a third to a quarter of basic care and support costs could be paid for by the state is based on that analysis.

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We expect to publish shortly a report by PSSRU outlining the modelling and costs of the Green Paper funding options. A copy will be placed in the Library.

Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department has produced an impact assessment for the proposal in the Green Paper, "Shaping the Future of Care Together", to use attendance allowance to help to fund social care; what estimate he has made of the number of people who will receive social care under such arrangements in the next 12 months; and which categories of people will be prioritised under these arrangements. [292100]

Phil Hope: The Department published a regulatory impact assessment alongside the Green Paper "Shaping the Future of Care Together" which sets out the estimated costs and implications of the funding models discussed. The impact assessment is available online at:

http://careandsupport.direct.gov.uk/greenpaper/the-green-paper-and-supporting-documents/

A copy has been placed in the Library.

Due to the wide range of reforms proposed within the Green Paper, full introduction of a new care and support system will be around 2014 at the earliest.

Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for (a) Scotland, (b) Wales and (c) Northern Ireland on the implementation of proposals contained in the Green Paper, "Shaping the Future of Care Together". [292103]

Phil Hope: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State wrote to Ministers in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland to provide them with the full text of the Green Paper prior to publication. Departmental officials have been in regular contact with their counterparts in the devolved Administrations and a further series of meetings are planned.

Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what role he plans for GPs in the proposed National Care Service as set out in the Green Paper, "Shaping the Future of Care Together"; and what arrangements he plans to put in place for the provision of the National Care Service to patients resident in England and registered with GP practices in Wales. [292104]

Phil Hope: Care and support covers a range of reserved and devolved issues. Where matters are devolved, there will inevitably be consequences for people who live near the geographical boundaries between two areas with different policies. This is the case with the current system. We will continue to work with the devolved Administrations to ensure the implications of the Green Paper for people living near the borders are fully understood.

We do not envisage the new national care service altering any existing cross-border provision of health services. For example, the new national care service will not mean that patients in England who are registered with general practitioners in Wales cannot continue this arrangement.

Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to publish (a) the responses to and (b) the conclusions of his Department's consultation on its social care Green Paper. [292536]

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