Our response to the King's Fund on social care and older people (30.03.06)

Our response to the King's Fund report on social care and older people (30.03.06)

A hugely welcome report - but the Government must tackle the spiralling crisis in social care immediately.

Age Concern’s response to the King’s Fund report by Sir Derek Wanless on Social Care and Older People

Age Concern’s Director-General‚ Gordon Lishman‚ said:

“This groundbreaking report has rightly highlighted the enormity of the social care crisis gripping the nation and will hopefully pave the way for a long overdue debate. Chronic under-funding is denying thousands of older people the help and support they need and the situation will only get worse without action. The Government cannot afford to bury its head in the sand any longer and must introduce immediate short-term measures to ease the growing crisis.

“It is appalling that less money is spent on social care for older people per head than any other adult group‚ despite the over 65s being the biggest users of health and social care services.1 Unless the Government rapidly invests much more in preventative services - aimed at preventing falls‚ helping people to keep active and helping with household tasks - thousands more risk losing their dignity‚ independence and health. The report clearly recognises that too many older people are missing out on the help they need because limited funding has to be targeted at those with the highest needs.

“The report’s recommendation to scrap means-testing for personal care will be very popular with older people who find the means-test deeply worrying‚ complex and intrusive. Many older people tell us they are furious that they get nothing from a system that they have paid into all their lives. The idea that all who need it will be entitled to a free basic package of care‚ with a ‘partnership’ of matched funding in place to pay for additional care‚ certainly sounds like good news but the devil will be in the detail. The needs of those who are unable to contribute themselves must also be adequately met.

“The publication of this report is a defining moment for social care and it is crucial that the Government does not gloss over the recommendations. Older people have been treated as second class citizens for too long. The Government must launch a public debate to discuss what needs to be done in the long-term and announce a substantial increase in funding for social care in its next Comprehensive Spending Review.” 2

- Ends -

Notes to editors
1 Source: Government Statistical Service 'Referrals‚ Assessments and Packages of Care 2004/5'

2 The next Comprehensive Spending Review will be published in 2007. It will examine the working of the spending reviews since 1997 and set out the priorities for the next ten years.

The Age Concern information line sent out 11‚400 factsheets on social care and answered a further 4453 queries in 2005-06 to the end of February.
Age Concern spokespeople are available for interview on Wednesday March 29 and Thursday March 30. Please contact the press team for further information.
Age Concern’s Director-General‚ Gordon Lishman‚ will sit on the Government’s Social Care Comprehensive Spending Review Working Group‚ chaired by Social Care Minister Liam Byrne.
Age Concern England is a member of the Inter Agency Group (IAG) on Adult Social Care. The IAG was set up in January 2005 to ensure all adult social care supports people to live independently and provides appropriate care for people outside hospitals.

Anecdotal evidence
Age Concern has heard of older people who…

- have been assessed as needing services by social services actually refusing them when told they will have to pay‚ because social care staff can't tell them how much it will cost until the financial assessment has been done and they are either worried about the cost or do not want to tell people about their finances.

- feel that they have been short changed because they pay for a half hour's worth of care despite carers often only staying for shorter periods of time because they are not paid for travel time between service users.

- resent finance staff having to ask detailed intimate questions to find out how much their disability costs them.

- find that they have been ‘reassessed’ as no longer needing care‚ despite being no better‚ because local authority eligibility criteria has been tightened to meet only the highest needs.

- find out that they are paying more than those funded by the local authority because there is a separate 'self funding' rate.

- have to rely on relatives to pay the difference between what social services will pay and what the care home fees really are - although often the relatives don't tell the older person that they have to do this as they know it would really upset them.