Clause 48 - Exclusion of nursing care from community care services
Health and Social Care Bill
6:30 pm
Mr Paul Burstow (Sutton and Cheam, Liberal Democrat)
I am genuinely puzzled by the Minister's question, not least because of the firm foundation on which we are basing our amendments. The royal commission makes it absolutely clear that the whole process of assessing need for personal care is just that; an assessment process. I shall refer later to the importance of having a statutory basis for the assessment process. Undoubtedly, needs-led assessment is essential.
Yesterday, in response to an intervention, the Minister made the point that the Government's nursing care proposals are also needs led and that no cash limit is being set on them. Presumably, the Government are envisaging a form of assessment procedure to enable that to happen. We, too, want an assessment procedure.