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FINANCE
Making of charges and assessments—Some of the services provided by the local health
authority under the National Health Service Act, 1946 must be free of charge (as are
general medical services and hospital treatment) but the health authority may, with the
approval of the Minister, make and recover reasonable charges for services and articles
provided under sections 22, 28 and 29 having regard to the means of the persons availing
themselves of the services. The Minister, in approving the making of charges under these
sections, prescribed in Circular 100/48 that the charge should not exceed the actual cost
to the authority of providing the service and that the charge should be reasonable having
regard to the means of the persons concerned.
Section 6 of the Mental Health Act, 1959 permits local health authorities to provide,
inter alia, residential accommodation for persons suffering from a mental disorder and,
with respect to charges, applies section 28 of the National Health Service Act, 1946.
When the principal Act came into force in July 1948, the Council fixed charges for
services and scales of assessment for abating the charge where the person responsible for
payment was unable to meet it in full. These charges and scales followed closely the national
recommendations of the County Council's Association and associated bodies. The scales
have been reviewed from time to time to conform with changes in National Assistance
scales of grants and amendments have also been made when experience has shown them
to be appropriate, e.g. having regard to increased costs of the services and in incomes.
At present, voluntary organisations providing similar services (such as day nurseries) for
which they are grant-aided by the London County Council are required, as one of the
conditions of assistance, to conform to the Council's scales and assessment procedures.
Charges are made in accordance with the scales approved by the Council. There are in
effect five assessment scales:
Scale A—for services which are small in cost or needed at irregular intervals.
Scale B—which is applied for services of a more continuous nature.
Scale C—for ascertaining charges payable in respect of residential care provided
for the mentally disordered (other than short-term care for the mentally
subnormal).
Day nursery service—special scale.
Home help service—special scale.
Expenditure:
Capital—The total capital expenditure on the health services for the period from 5 July
1948 to 31 March 1964 was £1,917,761. That for the year ended 31 March 1964 was
as follows:
£
Ambulance stations—acquisitions, erection and adaptation 13,825
Day nurseries—extension of premises 4,949
Maternity and child welfare centres—acquisition and erection 53,369
Mental health hostels and training centres—acquisition, erection
and equipment 145,019
£217,162
137