When it will implement free nursing and free personal care for older people.

Further detailed consideration has been undertaken on practical issues arising from the new policy, including the issue of attendance allowance and the detailed work required of local authorities. We are now able to move ahead.The Chair of the steering group which was established to advise on implementation has advised that a slight delay in implementation would allow an orderly introduction of the new arrangements, in the light of all the preparatory work required. After considering the impact of this proposal carefully, the Executive has decided that full implementation of free nursing and personal care for those assessed as needing it will take place from 1 July 2002.The amounts to be paid from 1 July 2002 for those in care homes will be £145 per week for those assessed as needing personal care and a further £65 per week for those assessed as needing nursing care. Those who accept such a payment towards their nursing and personal care costs will cease to be eligible for Attendance Allowance under Department of Work and Pensions rules, but are of course being fully compensated by the amounts set out above.Those who currently pay charges for the personal care provided to them in their own homes will not be charged for that type of care after 1 July 2002. Nursing care is already provided free of charge by the NHS for those at home through the community nursing and health visitor services.Those types of care defined by the Care Development Group as personal care will be included in the Community Care and Health Bill currently before Parliament, subject to parliamentary approval.