To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to ensure that assessments of possible need for social care are carried out by local authority staffs before a patient is discharged from hospital, so that continued in-patient treatment can be offered if no appropriate care outside hospital is available.

Health authorities, in conjunction with local authorities, are already responsible for developing individual discharge plans that ensure a continuity of health and social care. The existing circulars on hospital discharges—HC(89)5 and LAC(89)7—copies of which are available in the Library, instruct health authorities to start planning for discharge at as early a stage as possible, giving local authorities adequate notice to assess and provide for social care needs.