Clause 3
Health Bill [Lords]
5:45 pm
Stephen O'Brien (Shadow Minister, Health; Eddisbury, Conservative)
I have listened to the Minister and recognise that he does not intend to do anything by sleight of hand. I dare say we will come back to the issue when we deal with direct payments in chapter 3, but the more that we look at packages of care that straddle the NHS and social care, it becomes more important, because it is difficult, as was mentioned, to disentangle care services that are provided by the NHS and those that are an extension of care packages.
We have about 30,000 people under continuing care, which is an NHS provision that carries forward into the social care context, but that is becoming more fungible as we look at the growth of direct payments, individual budgets or personal health budgets. That is the direction that I think hon. Members on both sides of the House wish to see pursued. It is appropriate and relevant to individual patients and those who need care, and it is something to which we will need to return. In the meantime, I am prepared to postpone some of the discussion until we get on to direct payments and I will take the Minister’s assurance at face value. I beg to ask leave to withdraw the amendment.