Written question asked by David Amess (Conservative) on Monday, 23 June 2008, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 25 June 2008. It was answered by Ivan Lewis (Labour) on Tuesday, 1 July 2008 on behalf of the Department of Health.

Elderly: Abuse

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research his Department (a) has commissioned, (b) plans to commission and (c) has evaluated on the levels of abuse of older people who are (i) resident in care homes and (ii) suffering from dementia; what recent representations he has received on the issue; and if he will make a statement.

Answer: On 27 March 2008, the Department and Comic Relief announced £2 million funding for a new joint research initiative to investigate the dignity and safety of older people being cared for in institutional settings. The study will explore the experience of older people, and the staff who care for them, in settings such as care homes, intermediate care and hospitals.The new research is likely to run until April 2011. An advertisement inviting tenders to undertake the research was placed in the Guardian newspaper on 4 June 2008, with on-line registration of interest (ROI) required by 23 June.It will build on research published in 2007, also funded by the Department and Comic Relief, which examined the prevalence of abuse of older people living in their own homes.Although the experience of older people with dementia was not included as a specific aspect in this first study, we envisage that the research in institutional settings will include methods to take account of their experiences.A total of 32 ROIs have been received. These will be sifted shortly. Full research applications are due to be received by 27 August 2008.

Secondary information