Millions of elderly 'to lose vital care in funding shake-up'

Older patients too frail to get out of bed may not receive home help

  • Millions of elderly people could be denied home help, Age UK warns
  • More pensioners may have to rely on ‘flying’ 15-minute home visits
  • Ministers are currently drawing up plans for new national care system

By Sophie Borland

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Millions of elderly people could be denied vital care under a Government shake-up of the funding system, a leading charity has warned.

There are fears older patients too frail to get out of bed by themselves will be denied home help on the state because they are not deemed dependent enough.

Age UK also warns that further cuts to the social care budget will lead to many more elderly having to rely on ‘flying’ 15-minute home visits.

 

Warning: Elderly people could be denied vital care under a Government shake-up, Age UK has warned

 

Recently it emerged that older people were having to choose between a carer making them a cup of tea or helping them to the toilet because visits were so ‘disgracefully’ short.

Ministers are currently drawing up plans for a national system to decide how much state-funded care is given to each older person based on their needs and assets.

At present, the funding is decided by individual councils – but this has been widely condemned as unfair and has led to many elderly people selling their homes to pay for care.

The Department of Health has just finished consulting on its new system and the first draft of plans are likely to be published next May.

But in a report today, Age UK says it is ‘deeply worried’ that the Government will set the bar ‘too high’.

Under the system expected to be brought in, the state would only pay for care for the elderly and disabled with ‘critical’ or ‘substantial’ needs – who need help with eating, drinking and most other daily tasks.

Those only deemed to have moderate needs – who have assistance getting out of bed and washing -would have to pay themselves.

The charity adds: ‘If this happens too many older people will remain shut out of the system, unable to access the help they need.’ it states.

It also says that even if the elderly are deemed eligible for state-funded care, it is often ‘inadequate’ due to severe cuts to the budget.

Recently it emerged that more than half of councils are only granting elderly and disabled 15 minute carer visits.

The Leonard Cheshire Disability charity – which compiled the data – said such ‘disgracefully’ short visits meant vulnerable patients were forced to choose between having a cup of tea and going to the toilet.

Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK, said: ‘The Government deserves credit for bringing forward long overdue reforms to the social care system that could make a real difference if properly implemented, but we are worried that the social care ‘coat’ being designed for 2016 is being cut to the inadequate ‘cloth’ that the Treasury is allocating.

‘A great new system on paper is pointless unless there is sufficient funding in place.’

Neil Duncan-Jordan, of the National Pensioners Convention, said: ‘Patients who cant get out of bed by themselves in the morning wont qualify for the cap.

‘A great new system on paper is pointless unless there is sufficient funding in place’

– Caroline Abrahams

 

‘That’s definitely true. We’re lobbying at the moment to put a number of concerns to the Government.

‘Most people really aren’t aware that their care isn’t free. They assume its like the NHS, it will come as a shock.’ 

The national system is likely to be similar to that used in many councils where the elderly or adults with learning disabilities deemed dependent enough would pay £72,000 of their care annually, and the state pays for the rest.

But these rules would only apply to those whose needs are deemed ‘critical’ or ‘substantial’, everyone else will have to pay for most of the care themselves.

But Care and Support Minister Norman Lamb said: ‘We want to create a fairer society, that’s why we are putting an end to the current system which sees people exhausting almost all their savings or selling their homes in a time of crisis to pay for care.’