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Community Care

Answer

[holding answer 29 June 2007]: Local authorities are responsible for assessing the care needs of their populations and providing or arranging care services to meet those needs. It is for local authorities to ensure that peoples' assessed needs are met on a day to day basis, regardless of how services are delivered. Local authorities are responsible for setting the criteria that determine peoples' eligibility for care. They do so based on local need and may also take into account their resources.A person receiving domiciliary care services arranged by a local authority will receive such services, following the process of assessment of their need for such a service carried out by the authority, under section 47 of the National Health Service and Community Care Act 1990, taking into account relevant directions and guidance from the Secretary of State.Changes may be made by the local authority to the services received following a reassessment under section 47 and an authority may temporarily provide urgently needed services without an assessment, pending the completion of an assessment.People who have services withdrawn (or their representatives) are entitled to make use of the local authority social services complaints procedure. Procedures for handling complaints about the provision of domiciliary care services are set out in the Local Authority Social Services Complaints (England) Regulations (S.I.2006/1681). Information on how to make a complaint is available from local authority offices.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

146600; 462 c1443-4W

Session

2006-07

Subjects

Community care

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk