NHS continuing health care may be available to help people to continue to live in their own home if they are assessed as having a primary health care need. Going forward, providing more care in the patient’s home can improve convenience, quality and value for money—for instance in areas such as renal dialysis—and there are more savings to be made from closer integration of health and social care.
I thank the Secretary of State for his reply. Enabling people to continue living in their own homes when they need care is a crucial part of developing a national care service. Does the Secretary of State agree that to create a national care service will require a consensual and non-party political approach, which the Opposition seem unable to comprehend?
I said when we published the Green Paper last year that I was seeking broad consensus on this issue and that remains my objective. It is one of the biggest issues that we face as a society, and I think that the country is looking to politicians to work constructively towards a durable solution. Before we leap to criticise each other, we need to focus on the fact that there are people today in all our constituencies paying the cruellest taxes of all—the costs of care that mean that the more vulnerable people are, the more they pay. A national care service will create a national entitlement and end the local lottery in which councils set different rules. The principle of a national care service has been widely welcomed, and I call on all sides to help us to make it a reality.
The Secretary of State will be aware that North Yorkshire is going down the path of allowing people to remain in their own homes. What does he say to GPs who will say to the Department that in rural areas such as North Yorkshire it is very difficult for carers to visit and deliver care to as many homes as they might in urban areas? That is a great challenge that we face in delivering personal care in people’s own homes.
I certainly agree and the hon. Lady makes an important point. The different geography and demography of local communities mean that home care will be more suitable in some areas than in others. However, in an area such as North Yorkshire, I think that telecare will have an important part to play in ensuring that people can be monitored daily without their having to travel to a clinic or hospital. There is great potential in this field, although of course it must be a local decision. It must not be imposed on people but, where people want it, it can be convenient for the public and can provide value for money for the taxpayer.