Written question asked by Mike Weatherley (Conservative) on Thursday, 19 January 2012, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 1 February 2012. It was answered by Paul Burstow (Liberal Democrat) on Wednesday, 1 February 2012 on behalf of the Department of Health.

Fractures: Care Homes

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he plans to produce a national standard for care homes on the prevention, treatment and care of fractures resulting from osteoporosis and falls.

Answer: The Health and Social Care Bill makes provision for the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) to produce Quality Standards that relate to social care, which would potentially include care homes. Our engagement exercise—Caring for Our Future: Shared ambitions for care and support—sought to understand people's priorities for reform to help inform the approach to be set out in the forthcoming White Paper on adult social care. Responses to the engagement in relation to quality welcomed planned work to extend NICE Quality Standards to social care, and highlighted the potential role clinical audit practice might play in driving up quality in the sector. The Government are now considering these proposals before they set out their plans in their White Paper on care and support.

Secondary information