Oliver Heald (North East Hertfordshire, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 21 June 2011, Official Report, column 252W, on carers: Hertfordshire, whether his Department monitors expenditure from carers' budgets to ensure that funding provided for respite breaks is spent for that purpose; and if he will make a statement.
Paul Burstow (Minister of State (Care Services), Health; Sutton and Cheam, Liberal Democrat)
The Department does not formally monitor expenditure on respite breaks for carers.
However, the ‘2011-12 NHS Operating Framework’, published on15 December 2010, makes it clear that:
“PCTs should pool budgets with local authorities to provide carers' breaks, as far as possible, via direct payments or personal health budgets. For 2011/12, PCTs should agree policies, plans and budgets to support carers with local authorities and local carers' organisations, and make them available to local people.”
Strategic health authorities (SHAs) will remain accountable for operational delivery and for leading the transition across their region in 2011-12. They will hold primary care trusts (PCTs) to account for the delivery of the requirements set out in the NHS Operating Framework both in terms of service delivery and transition to the new arrangements.
In order to support transparency and local accountability, the Department plans to seek written confirmation from all SHAs when plans have been published by PCTs on the specific areas outlined as a requirement in the Operating Framework, including services to support carers.