Jane calls for real change

Date of article: 01-Feb-10

"Piecemeal tinkering" by the Government will not be enough to deliver the real change needed in funding older people’s housing and care, according to Anchor's Acting Chief Executive Jane Ashcroft.

The Care at Home Bill aims to provide free home care for those who most need it, but the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services has warned that the proposed increase in Government funding will be insufficient to cover the cost.

There are also concerns that the Bill is at odds with the social care Green Paper. The paper was published last year and sets out a range of options for paying for older people’s care including a model in which people can take out Government-backed insurance to cover the cost of their care.

Jane said: "We support anything which gives older people choice. The social care Green Paper promised a pragmatic and sensible way forward, recognising that public funding simply will not stretch far enough and setting out options for reform.

"Sadly, we believe the Bill to provide free home care for those with the greatest need, which is now progressing through parliament, will only deliver for a small number of relatively well-off older people. It does not, in our view, herald a sea-change.

"We are also extremely concerned that already hard-pressed local authorities will really struggle to find the money to fund this initiative. Funding for older people’s services needs a complete overhaul, not just piecemeal tinkering."

 
Article Source: Anchor Homes

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