Health and Social Care Bill

163AA: Before Clause 60, insert the following new Clause— ““PART 2A Standards of adult social care Secretary of State duty as to the standards of adult social care (1) The Secretary of State shall have a duty to secure the improvement in the quality of adult social care services through local social services authorities and qualified service providers registered with the Care Quality Commission. (2) In discharging this duty, the Secretary of State must ensure— (a) the establishment of a fair and resilient partnership between individuals and the state for funding adult social care that— (i) secures adequate funding to deliver safe and sustainable services, (ii) provides access to these services for those of limited means, (iii) caps the financial liability to pay for services for those with unusually high lifetime care costs, (iv) minimises the impact on the demand for health services, (b) that the assessment of the needs of individuals and their carers for services is undertaken on the basis of published criteria for eligibility to and charging for services that applies consistently throughout England, (c) that continuing efforts are made to reduce barriers to the delivery of integrated health and adult social care to individuals and through the conduct of commissioners and providers of both health and social care services. (3) The Secretary of State may, after appropriate consultations, make regulations governing the discharge of his duties under subsections (1) and (2), subject to affirmative resolutions in both Houses of Parliament.””