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Almost two thirds of local councils rated as providing ‘excellent’ care at home are failing to provide any care at all to many older people who cannot carry out basic daily tasks‚ such as getting out of bed‚ using the toilet and washing themselves‚ according to new analysis^[1] released today by Age Concern and Help the Aged.

The charity released the findings as hundreds of older people arrive at Parliament today to demand action from their MPs ahead of the publication of the Government’s long-promised Green Paper on social care reform.  The analysis by the charity found that‚ 35 out of 56 councils rated as ‘excellent’ by the Commission for Social Care Inspection^[2]‚ only provide care services to those with ‘critical or substantial’ needs.

By restricting home care to those who only meet the highest criteria^[3] local councils continue to deny many older people the care they need to live dignified and independent lives.  Despite their needs being classed as ‘low’ or ‘moderate’ many of these older people are nonetheless disabled and housebound. The charity is calling for the forthcoming Green Paper to reverse creeping eligibility restrictions and end the postcode lottery of service provision by guaranteeing services for all those with critical‚ substantial and moderate needs.

As part of the charity’s nationwide campaign to improve care and support‚ hundreds of older people and their relatives will travel across the country to London where they will take part in a mass lobby of Parliament.  The campaigners will meet their local MPs in Westminster Hall to share their personal experiences of the care system and demand urgent action to radically reform the care system and improve the lives of older people.

Michelle Mitchell‚ Charity Director of Age Concern and Help the Aged‚ said: “This is just one example of how the crumbling care system is failing our older people. The reality is that even the ‘best’ local councils are leaving many older people to struggle without the care they need‚ slowly stripping away their dignity and independence.

“The call for action from older campaigners and their families is loud‚ clear and unified.  It’s time for action‚ not endless consultation and discussion. Politicians cannot duck the care crisis any longer – any political party that fails to spell out how they would reform the care system is betraying the current and future generations of older people”

The charity estimates that it would cost an additional £1-2 billion per year to patch up the broken care system and more to deliver real reforms which would to ensure the protection of dignity and independence of all older people.

Before it was replaced by the Care Quality Commission in April 2009 the Commission for Social Care Inspection explicitly recognised the human damage being done by the failure of councils to provide care at home to many in need in its 2008 reports ‘The State of Social Care in England 2006-07’ and ‘Cutting the Cake fairly’.

-ENDS-

Notes to Editors

Councils rated as providing ‘Excellent’ care service by CSCI with the ‘Fair Access to Care Services’ threshold at which they are prepared to help those with care and support needs.  Excel spreadsheet breakdown by each council available upon request.  Please call Anne-Marie Devaney on 020 8765 7511 or email media@ace.org.uk

Professional photographs from the mass lobby will be available from 3pm on Wednesday 10 June.  Please call the Age Concern and Help the Aged press office on 020 8765 7511.

Age Concern and Help the Aged have an ISDN line facility.

For interviews‚ please contact Anne-Marie Devaney on 020 8765 7511 or email media@ace.org.uk.

To get a free copy of Age Concern and Help the Aged’s campaign report ‘Quality not Inequality’ please visit our website www.ageconcern.org.uk/care or call our information line on free phone 0800 00 99 66

Age Concern England and Help the Aged have joined together to form a single charity dedicated to improving the lives of older people.

Media contact:
Anne-Marie Devaney
Telephone:
020 8765 7511
Out of office hours:
07071 243 243
Email:
media@ace.org.uk