Elderly care funding
Monday, 07 Jan 2008 11:16
Social care in the UK should receive greater funding, report says
The majority of long-term care system users think the costs of care for older people should be met by both individuals and the government, a new study has revealed.
Nine out of ten participants in the Kings' Fund-led study supported a system where everyone gets some contribution from the state but only one in five believed that personal care should be funded 100 per cent by the state.
Over 700 people involved in the care system participated in the nine-month consultation, including users, carers, providers and researchers.
The results showed a consensus that the current system of funding long-term care is not fit for purpose.
Both people receiving care and providing care said they thought the system was unclear and unfair and expressed concern at the postcode lottery giving people different entitlements in different areas.
The report, Caring Choices, calls for more money to meet growing social care needs; between 2002 and 2026 it is estimated that the number of older people requiring care is likely to rise by 50 per cent, and costs per head will also rise.
It says there are already cases of people not getting the help they need as local authorities strapped for cash focus on those with the most critical conditions.
Better support for unpaid carers is vital, Caring Choices says, with a need for more generous funding of items such as respite care and carer's allowance.
"I hope the forthcoming government consultation will draw on the Caring Choices initiative – and the major King's Fund and Joseph Rowntree reviews before it – to help us finally achieve the fair, effective and affordable system that is so necessary," commented King's Fund chief executive Niall Dickson.
inthenews.co.uk brings you all the key responses and comment on the issue throughout the day.
