Written question asked by Frank Doran (Labour) on Wednesday, 25 February 1998, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 3 March 1998. It was answered by Sam Galbraith (Labour) on Tuesday, 3 March 1998 on behalf of the Scottish Office.

Scottish Office

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what criteria are applied in respect of the admission of elderly people in Grampian to continuing care in the National Health Service to assess whether they require continuing medical and nursing care; and in what respects these criteria differ from the criteria which are applied in other health board areas in Scotland.

Answer: Mr. Doran: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what criteria are applied in respect of the admission of elderly people in Grampian to continuing care in the National Health Service to assess whether they require continuing medical and nursing care; and in what respects these criteria differ from the criteria which are applied in other health board areas in Scotland. [32255] Mr. Galbraith: The criteria are determined by guidance issued by the Scottish Office Department of Health to the NHS in Scotland and local authorities in 1996. Although local criteria may be developed, they must not involve a reduction of the published national terms. In this respect, Grampian does not differ from any other health board in Scotland. However, decisions about individual patients' care needs are ultimately for the clinical judgment of the consultant involved.

Secondary information