 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Current system unfit for purpose, claims report: Changes recommended in payment for care of elderly
A new system to pay for long–term care for older people which combines a clear–cut entitlement to care, with the cost of it shared between individuals and the state is badly needed in the UK, according to a report on the long term–care system entitled, The Future of Care Funding: Time for a Change. Born out of widespread concern that the current system is unsustainable, the study behind the report, called The Caring Choices Initiative, was led by 15 organisations including the King’s Fund and Help the Aged. Over 700 people with experience of the long–term care system including service users, carers, providers or researchers participated in the study. The report found that the current system is unfit for the purpose it is intended for, with a post code lottery that gives very different entitlements to people in different areas. People receiving and providing care alike thought the system unclear, unfair and disliked the high degree of means testing that seems to penalise people who have made provision for their old age. More money will be required in future as the costs of care per person rise together with the demand for long–term elderly care, which is predicted to increase by 50 per cent between 2002 and 2026. Unless the Government increases its own contribution the extra costs will fall upon care users. Already some people do not get the care they need as councils, short of cash focus only on those with the most critical conditions, says the report. The study suggests there should be a universal element of long–term care funding. Most participants supported a system where everyone gets some contribution from the state and many argued for a baseline entitlement available to everyone with care needs, regardless of income or wealth.
Better support for unpaid carers is also crucial. Researchers found strong resentment about the lack of assistance for unpaid family carers. Carers and care users emphasised that any effective settlement for long–term care funding needs to involve more generous spending on items like respite care and the Carers’ Allowance. However, on other issues there was no clear consensus of opinion on the best way forward, such as how far state support should be limited to personal care, like help with bathing, eating, going to the toilet, as opposed to wider social care or measures to slow down dependency, like the role of benefits or long–term care insurance. Further, careful consideration is needed on these matters and difficult decisions will have to be made says the report. Caring Choices provides an indication of what people with a stake in the care system think, but does not claim to be a representative survey of public opinion. The conclusions will be fed into the forthcoming Government consultation and green paper on the funding of adult social care in England, announced in last year’s Comprehensive Spending Review which acknowledged that major reforms to care funding are needed. For more details and full report visit website: www.caringchoices.org.uk. From your browser | Email the page | Email the page link | Print the page | Add page to favourites ········································································································································
Handy guide to wellbeing series | For you, family and friends
|
