CROSS PARTY CARE TALKS: FORGET POLITICS, FIND SOLUTIONS, SAYS SAGA

DR ROS ALTMANN

DIRECTOR-GENERAL, SAGA

QUOTES

January 16, 2012.

CROSS PARTY CARE TALKS: FORGET POLITICS, FIND SOLUTIONS, SAYS SAGA.

Over-50s organisation Saga says there is no room for political points-scoring in this week’s cross-party talks on care and support.

“The lives of millions of older people and the future of the NHS is at stake here. Politicians in all parties have an historic opportunity to change the way care is funded in future, to help people stay in their own homes if they can, which is what they overwhelmingly want, and to save money for the NHS by caring for them outside the most expensive hospital settings,” said Dr Ros Altmann, Director-General of Saga.

“It is desperately important that MPs take the lead in telling Ministers - who have so far proved disappointingly reluctant to grasp the urgency of the issue - that proper care reform cannot wait. There will be a White Paper in the Spring, but this must deliver a clear framework for immediate reform, with a timeline and action, not more fudge.

“Frontline care professionals are already disappointed at the delays, and we would urge whoever is chairing the meeting to stand for no nonsense, no points-scoring and no further hold-ups.

“There are mortal deadlines here, and this must not be forgotten. We are dealing with our most vulnerable citizens. 2012 must not be their year of living anxiously.

“The government needs to recognise that while they may be agonising over the cost, the reality is that people and families who need care appreciate that there’s a cost involved: but the current system is not fit for purpose. Too much is spent via the NHS and too little is devoted to social care by increasingly cash-strapped councils. The Government must deliver on its promises of ensuring millions no longer face the risk of a postcode lottery of care and of losing all their life savings to pay for care costs which taxpayers cover for others. Money for care has not been ring-fenced for care and therefore not being spent on the care that is needed by an increasingly aging population.

“Saga, now the nation's largest provider of home care, has 18,000 carers providing two million hours of care a month, and we have regular contact with millions of over-50s, many of whom are touched by the care issue. And the overriding opinion of virtually every one of them is disbelief that such a vital issue – described by the government itself as ‘urgent’ – can be taking so long to sort out.

“We call on the government to introduce meaningful reforms, encourage people to save for their future care needs and take away the biggest risks of catastrophic care costs, so people have proper incentives to save. We also need to see the Government ensuring that all local authorities are forced to plan properly for the care needs of their constituents - a ten-year plan to cope with the rising costs of caring for older people is an essential reform to ensure councils have to factor the needs of more older people properly into account.”

Ends

For further information:

Saga Press Office

01303 771529.

www.saga.co.uk

Iain Macauley

im@pressrelations.co.uk

07788 978800

CARE CRISIS: GOVERNMENT REDEFINES “URGENT PRIORITY” SAYS OVER-50S GROUP SAGA.

SAGA

QUOTES

January 3, 2012.

CARE CRISIS: GOVERNMENT REDEFINES “URGENT PRIORITY” SAYS OVER-50S GROUP SAGA.

Commenting on the letter in the Daily Telegraph highlighting the impending care crisis, Saga's head of communications, Paul Green said:

“The delays in social care reform are provoking a critical condition affecting both the care system and the NHS.

“The government says it is an ‘urgent priority’, but it seems to have redefined both words. Coalition Ministers and Shadows alike have been saying it is an urgent priority since well before the 2010 General Election. The credibility of each and every politician hiding behind that faux furrowed-brow statement falls with each utterance.

“‘Urgent priority’ means immediate identification of a problem, immediate proposal of a solution, and immediate implementation of that solution. We’ve seen it with almost-instant changes in gun law and youth unemployment policy, and breast implants could well become the next health issue to be fast-tracked.

“Each of those affects far fewer people – so it remains an utter mystery why an issue affecting not just individuals but their families too, every single one of which is up against a mortal deadline, warrants a different and more sedate definition of ‘urgent priority’.

“Andrew Dilnot has provided some workable and realistic proposals for care funding and support, but that the government has barely uttered his name since July makes us fear for the mortality of those proposals.

“We fear further delay, we fear a damp squib. The tone of Mr Burstow in his statement that plans to change the system will be announced in the spring suggests the government may not consider the care issue to be either ‘urgent’ or ‘a priority’.

"2012 must be a year of action not of delay." Ends

For further information:

Saga Press Office
01303 771529.

www.saga.co.uk

Iain Macauley
im@pressrelations.co.uk
07788 978800

HOME CARE CRISIS “AS BIG AS A CITY” ”: MORE SHAMEFUL AND SHOCKING EVIDENCE

DR ROS ALTMANN

@SagaRosAltmann

DIRECTOR-GENERAL, SAGA

PRESS RELEASE

November 23, 2011.

HOME CARE CRISIS “AS BIG AS A CITY” ”: MORE SHAMEFUL AND SHOCKING EVIDENCE SHOWS REAL IMPACT OF CARE CUTS.

RADICAL REFORM IS LONG OVERDUE

The government is failing to act to head off a home care crisis “as big as a city” despite constant and overwhelming evidence from an avalanche of reports.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission and Care Quality Commission have highlighted again the poor standards of social care suffered by many older people – primarily caused by huge, and growing, shortfalls in local authority care budgets.

“Of course, there is wonderful care out there, but as councils keep cutting care budgets, standards can only get worse: hardly a week goes by without another damning report into the treatment of the elderly and vulnerable in this country. But so far, nothing has actually been done to address the reality of the day-to-day indignities many older people endure,” said Dr Ros Altmann, Director-General of over-50s organisation Saga.

“Today's report, from the Equality and Human Rights Commission, says that 250,000 older people – the equivalent of the population of a city the size of Derby or Southampton - are receiving poor or very poor standards of home care including verbal and physical abuse, near-cursory 15-minute ‘task-ticking’ visits– there should be a statutory minimum way higher than that - and little or no help in eating and drinking.

“But as the EHRC points out, the figure may actually be higher because many more may well be too frightened to complain. What’s more, that’s just home care: one element of a social care system which is becoming deluged as we live longer lives.

“The government knows about these issues – how can they not, as they are continually presented with evidence of a care system in crisis? Predictable pre-packaged Ministerial responses expressing outrage and pledging action are not enough.

“Let me ask this: when was the last time we saw any decisive action – as opposed to talk?

“Of course, we welcome the CQC’s proposed home care inspection plans, as well as any move which will help improve the quality and consistency of care – and consequently the quality of life – for our older generations. But the CQC has stopped inspecting the local authority commissioners themselves. If we do not tackle the root cause of the problem - inadequate resources for care - how can we expect decent care?

“We need to properly fund our care system and revere it as much as we do the NHS. We need a consistent regulatory and monitoring system that promotes and encourages best practice, not inconsistent and unprepared knee-jerk responses.

“The question needs to be asked just who monitors the local authority commissioners? They are putting pressure on care providers to offer the lowest priced possible care - and it should be obvious that 15 minute visits make it impossible to deliver adequate care. How do we get health and homecare to work in tandem, and get people back in their own home where they want to be and where care is most cost effective?

“It is vital that we drive the retention of some excellent people who do a tremendous job - the vast silent majority who never get a mention in dispatches. We need to promote care as a career and a profession, and highlight the requirement for best practice, and applaud it where we see it.”

Ends

For further information:

Saga Press Office
01303 771529.

www.saga.co.uk

Iain Macauley
im@pressrelations.co.uk
07788 978800

CARE BILL SHORTFALL COULD DOUBLE TO £2 BILLION AS JUDGE RULES COUNCIL FREEZE ON CARE PAYMENTS TO ELDERLY IS UNLAWFUL.

SEFTON CARE ASSOCIATION

PRESS RELEASE

November 9, 2011.

CARE BILL SHORTFALL COULD DOUBLE TO £2 BILLION AS JUDGE RULES COUNCIL FREEZE ON CARE PAYMENTS TO ELDERLY IS UNLAWFUL.

Copies of judgment and solicitor’s summary available on request.

The potential shortfall in the budget for care of the elderly in England and Wales could well have instantly doubled to £2 billion after a High Court judge ruled that Sefton Council broke the law when it froze payments covering the cost of care for elderly people in care homes.

The landmark decision could affect 140 local authorities which froze or reduced care payments to thousands of care home residents, but it could mean care support justice for older people who have been forced to raid their savings or assets to cover the cost of good quality and dignified care.

His Honour Judge Raynor QC ruled in the High Court in Manchester on November 9, 2011, that Sefton Council - a typical middle-sized authority - should not have frozen payment levels to 1,600 elderly people in care in the borough, and that it did not pay due regard to the actual cost of covering care in making its unilateral decision.

The claimants against Sefton Council’s decision to freeze payments were Sefton Care Association, Melton Health Care Limited, Westcliffe Manor Nursing Home, Benridge Care Homes Limited and Craignair Care Home. The financially-constrained action brought backing by both independent and charity-based providers in the local community.

Elderly residents, many with dementia, and their families, have been forced to top up the growing difference between Sefton Council’s frozen payment contribution level and the actual cost of care. The last time Sefton increased fees was April 2009. That means they have been frozen at the April 2009 rates ever since.

The judicial review and judgement relates specifically to the current year freeze, April 2011 to March 2012. Sefton Council claims to have saved £1.5m by not increasing fees by the proposed 2%. The claimants will now seek to reclaim the lost portion of fees to meet the actual cost of care which could be significantly higher, and at the very least in line with inflation of 4.5%. That alone will cost the Sefton around £3.4m, and, with the next year's budget now in sight, the cost may not stop there - inflation is now over 5% so next year this will climb to £3.75m, meaning a total of £7.15m additional cost to Sefton.

The King’s Fund recently suggested care funding would have a £1 billion shortfall by 2014. But if each of the 140 local authorities affected receives claims for similar shortfalls – Sefton appearing to have an average-sized population of elderly in care - then this could mean around an additional £1 billion would need to be found.

Judge Raynor said that care homes in the Sefton area should have been allowed to substantiate their concerns over the two-year payment freeze, and that the local authority in question was under a duty to consult with residential care providers locally. Failure to do so made the payment freeze decision unlawful.

Dan Lingard, Chairman of Sefton Care Association, and owner of Birch Abbey Care Home in Southport, said: “This win gives us no great pleasure – but it does provide a tremendous sense of justice for the most vulnerable of people. It is an action which should not have had to be taken out in the first place, but clearly has massive implications for care. It may well be the tipping point which re-prioritises the way care is funded and provided in this country.

“We may well be living and operating in a very tough economic environment, but the Judge has effectively ruled that the financial environment is not a good enough reason for a council to impose a freeze on payments to massively vulnerable people.

“The courts have ruled that the council’s decision to freeze payments is unlawful, and we await an urgent and positive response from Sefton Council confirming that they will now re-make this decision with an increase in funding.

“There are hundreds of vulnerable people affected and the council needs to act swiftly.

“A key issue, given the state of care funding in the UK, is that many people and their families may have had to sell assets to pay for the inflation-affected widening gap between what the local authority paid and what the cost of care actually is.

“We’re now looking for Sefton Council to respond with some sort of offer in terms of increased fees for 2011/12. We also expect Sefton Council to agree to implement the findings of an independent assessment of the actual cost of care in Sefton. The Sefton Care Association is prepared to raise funds to contribute towards this. But, crucially, we want to see a new and meaningful consultation process replacing the current now discredited approach.”

Dan Lingard is chairman of Sefton Care Association, Chief Executive of Melton Health Care Limited - which operates Birch Abbey Care Home in Southport - and a nationally-noted dementia care innovator. He founded the iPersonally approach to dementia care, and is a regular speaker on dementia care innovation and technology development.

Further quotes from Dan Lingard:

“Critical budget savings at the NHS are being put at risk by a rising tide of elderly needing admission to hospital due to a withdrawal of social care services.

“The elderly and their families are falling victim to a vicious circle of neglect as the NHS and local authorities struggle to provide anything but emergency care for the most vulnerable.

“Inflation is killing the elderly and the vulnerable as services are being cut to providing for only the most needy as Local Authorities up and own the country fight to resolve budget cuts made worse by high inflation.

“Many care home owners up and down the country are hanging on by a thread as the third year of freezes and cuts in fees start to take their toll. In financial terms, this ruling could dwarf the Southern Cross bankruptcy; there is real concern local authorities in their dominant, near-monopoly buying position may have pushed charity as well as commercial operators too far for too long.”

Ends

For further information:

Iain Macauley

07788 978800

im@pressrelations.co.uk

@Press_Relations

BED-BLOCKING: THE CARE CRISIS LAID BARE - AGAIN

DR ROS ALTMANN

DIRECTOR-GENERAL, SAGA

@SagaRosAltmann

QUOTES

November 8, 2011.

BED-BLOCKING: THE CARE CRISIS LAID BARE - AGAIN.

Dr Ros Altmann, Director General of over-50s group Saga, commenting on the rising level of “bed blocking” in England, said:

“Radical reform seems to be being applied to every aspect of our lives – except care. Why? The benefits – blindingly obvious - could be financially and socially life-changing.

“On average, a hospital bed costs £255 a day – and there were 128,500 patient days of delay in getting people, mainly elderly and vulnerable, back home or into the social care system in August and September 2011 alone. Don’t bother reaching for the calculator – it’s clearly a massive cost, is growing, and equates to just one-sixth of the year.

“This country is wasting billions of pounds paying for older people to be cared for in the most expensive and often most inappropriate places – hospital wards - instead of ensuring they are looked after in their own home or a care home.

“Not only would costs be slashed, it would be vastly more dignified and comfortable for all concerned. We need that radical overhaul of care funding, and proper integration between health and care systems for the increasing numbers of older people in the UK.

“The Andrew Dilnot care funding report ball has clearly been kicked deep into the long grass. Somebody needs to go get it – which would surely help in unlocking the care crisis, yet another facet of which is laid bare here.

“We need to get people out of hospital faster and into the care system rather than staying in hospital longer than they need to, which is worse for them - and much worse for the NHS - or better still, avoid hospital admission in the first place.”

Ends

For further information:

Saga Press Office
01303 771529.

www.saga.co.uk

Iain Macauley
im@pressrelations.co.uk
07788 978800

SOUTHERN CROSS CLOSURE: KEEP EVERYONE INFORMED - AND RING-FENCE CARE SPEND, SAGA TELLS GOVERNMENT.

DR ROS ALTMANN
DIRECTOR-GENERAL, SAGA
PRESS RELEASE

July 11, 2011.

SOUTHERN CROSS CLOSURE: KEEP EVERYONE INFORMED - AND RING-FENCE CARE SPEND, SAGA TELLS GOVERNMENT.

Dr Ros Altmann, Director-General of over-50s group Saga, says the Southern Cross care homes closure maintains the pressure on Government to ring-fence spending on care provision, to keep residents and their families well informed of developments in a bid to drive certainty and reassurance – and to drive plans to enable people to benefit from receiving care in their own homes.

“This has become a fast-changing news story, so communication with those most affected – residents and their families – must be clear, consistent and frequent to avoid the uncertainty that plagued those affected in the early phases of the demise of Southern Cross,” said Dr Altmann.

“In June everybody involved resolved to deliver a decisive way forward for Southern Cross and its residents by the autumn of this year. There was a degree of certainty in that – although not enough, of course – and while we are pleased there is now some progress towards resolution, of paramount importance is that residents, their families and the staff need reassurance about the future level of care provided in the care homes being transferred to new owners or operators.

“The fundamental problem remains that Government has historically not put enough money into care; we say that a priority must be to enable more people to receive care in their own home. But local authority budgets are being cut, and they are not willing to pay enough to cover the costs of providing care of a quality that ensures dignity and decency to care home residents – or those wanting to stay in their own home - so in the case of care homes, individuals or families end up subsidising state-funded residents which is obviously not a sustainable situation.

“The £2billion that Government has supposedly given to local authorities for additional care funding is not ring-fenced for care, so it is not being spent on care - and councils are still cutting care budgets, not increasing them despite the growing demand and need for care. This is a problem across the whole care sector and needs to be addressed urgently.

“We have been looking at just one example, Worcestershire, where the local authority is willing to pay just £70 a day to cover full board, meals, accommodation and staff to look after residents. It doesn’t take a financial expert to appreciate this is simply not enough to cover costs, particularly as inflation has reached such high levels.

“The Southern Cross situation stresses the importance of driving through Andrew Dilnot’s recommendations – whether in current form or modified – which will help capacity and funding alleviate pressures throughout care provision.”

Ends

Further information:
Dr. Ros Altmann
Director-General, Saga
ros.altmann@saga.co.uk
www.saga.co.uk
07545 504513
Twitter @SagaRosAltmann

Iain Macauley

im@pressrelations.co.uk

07788 978800

HSBC’S DECISION TO CLOSE CARE ADVICE BUSINESS PROVIDES A FURTHER CHALLENGE TO THE DILNOT COMMISSION.

SAGA

PRESS RELEASE

July 6, 2011.

HSBC’S DECISION TO CLOSE CARE ADVICE BUSINESS PROVIDES A FURTHER CHALLENGE TO THE DILNOT COMMISSION.

Commenting on HSBC’s decision to close their long term care advice division in July 2011, Dr Ros Altmann, Director-General of over-50s group Saga said:

 “The timing of HSBC’s decision to withdraw their long term care advice service from the market is a real disappointment, particularly as the Dilnot Commission has highlighted the desperate need for elderly people and their families to receive comprehensive information and advice on the options of paying for long term care,” said Dr Altmann.

“Without this specialist advice there is a very real danger that people will resort to running down, if not depleting their assets to pay care home fees, when there are often alternatives available. 

“Whilst there are other organisations in addition to Saga still offering this complex advice service, HSBC’s decision further highlights the challenge the Dilnot Commission faces when trying to encourage the financial services industry to provide creative products and support in this area.  

“Whilst the government considers its response to the Commission’s recommendations, there are already approximately 150,000* self-funded residents in care, a figure that is only expected to grow. For most people, care is a once-in-a-lifetime matter and people need to know that specialist advice on the current care funding choices is available. HSBC’s decision means there are now fewer places to turn to get such in-depth advice.

“Time is a luxury that many of these families simply don’t have so we urge the government to urgently put in place the working groups recommended in the Dilnot report so that real reform can happen.  Whilst this may not help many of the families with loved ones already in receipt of care, it can give some security and certainty to those with older relatives who may require care in the future. ”

Saga offers a free guide to funding care “Making Sense of Paying for Care” which can be obtained by calling 0800 056 6101 or visiting saga.co.uk/ltc

Ends

Editors notes: * Source Laing & Buisson – Care of Elderly People Market Survey 2010-2011 - number of self-funders in care 2009

For further information please contact the Saga Press Office on 01303 771529.

EHRC HOME CARE STANDARDS AND DIGNITY REPORT: MORE EMBARRASSMENT FOR GOVERNMENT CARE PROVISION.

DR ROS ALTMANN
DIRECTOR-GENERAL, SAGA
PRESS RELEASE

June 16, 2011.

EHRC HOME CARE STANDARDS AND DIGNITY REPORT: MORE EMBARRASSMENT FOR GOVERNMENT CARE PROVISION.

Commenting on the findings of the inquiry by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), Dr Ros Altmann, Director-General of Saga, the over-50s organisation, said:

“The EHRC report draws attention, once again, to the consequences of a lack of adequate funding for care in the UK. We have not taken care seriously enough in this country and it has not received the attention - or the money - that has been devoted to the NHS, even though a lack of adequate care can be just as harmful to people's lives as a lack of adequate health services.

“The view of millions of Saga customers - and of experts in the field - is that home care is a better and more cost-effective route to providing support and dignity to the elderly and most vulnerable than relying on a hospital stay, and much preferred to care homes.

“The vast majority of older people receive excellent care and value highly the care worker who cares for them. But money is time - and cuts mean visit duration and frequency are coming under pressure. If local authority budgets for care continue to be squeezed, the outcomes for older people will also be damaged.

“Cutting funding for care is a false economy: good, fully-funded, home care can prevent people needing urgent care in hospital or staying in hospital longer than necessary and would save huge amounts for the NHS.

“While the Health and Social Care Bill focuses mostly on the Health Service, we believe it is important to increase emphasis on the Social Care side of the debate.

“There is simply not enough money being set aside for care - event the £2billion that the Government said it would allocate to care has not been ring-fenced, so it may be diverted to other uses. There is a great variation across the UK in who qualifies for care, what level of care they qualify for – the extent and type of visit - and how much funding the local authority provides.

“It is vital that high standards - including training – are maintained. But the tremendous work carried out by carers and family carers needs to be recognised. They are under incredible time and emotional pressure – particularly those working to enforced local authority budgets and hence time allocations. Unless we allocate more resource, we fear further negative headlines - they could be avoided by a more joined-up approach to health and social care for vulnerable older people in our ageing society.”

Ends

Further information:
Dr. Ros Altmann
Director-General, Saga
ros.altmann@saga.co.uk
www.saga.co.uk
07545 504513
Twitter @SagaRosAltmann

Ros Altmann
Director General
Saga Group Ltd
Mobile: 07545 504 513
Web: www.saga.co.uk

SAGA REPORT SHOWS CARE FUNDING CRISIS IS WORSE THAN THOUGHT – WE’RE THE POOR OLD MAN OF EUROPE AGAIN.

DR ROS ALTMANN
DIRECTOR-GENERAL, SAGA
PRESS RELEASE

June 6, 2011

SAGA REPORT SHOWS CARE FUNDING CRISIS IS WORSE THAN THOUGHT – WE’RE THE POOR OLD MAN OF EUROPE AGAIN.

Baby boomers living in comfort today could fall into a precipice of unexpectedly undignified later life if the falling levels of spending on social care and the rising spiral of demand continue to diverge at the current rate. The problem is set to explode if no action is taken.

That’s the finding of a report commissioned by over-50s organisation Saga, which highlights that the shortfall in spending on care could be much worse than previously thought - and that the UK is languishing near the bottom of the European care spend league.

The report, “Take Care – the Future Funding of Social Care” says that no degree of number crunching based on current levels of spend will make ends meet in the sector, meaning potentially catastrophic consequences for millions of Britons in later life.

“We often look down on other countries, but when it comes to care for the elderly, we should look up to many of them,” said Dr Ros Altmann, Director-General of Saga.

Compiled by academics and care sector experts at 2020 Health, the report shows that an estimated 275,000 people with moderate care needs are receiving no financial support as local authorities are desperately reducing their spending to make ends meet, and that there are huge under-spends on technology compared to European neighbours.

“Decent care cannot be provided on the cheap, but not enough money has been allocated. Many more older people, not enough money - and the situation is worsening relentlessly: by 2030 there will be 50% more older people, with associated fast-growing demands on the public purse. Currently, people of working age fund a large proportion of care provision through taxes, and the ratio of taxpayers to older people will fall by a third; so where will the money come from?” said Dr Altmann.

“The fact that people live longer has been with us for a long time, but successive Governments have failed to prepare properly to address the inevitable consequences. Warnings of a pensions crisis were ignored but are finally being taken seriously with urgent reform; however no such sense of urgency has been shown when it comes to care.

“If we think the pensions crisis is a huge problem, care could be a major catastrophe as more older people are left to languish with inadequate resources to look after their needs.

“The 'Take Care' report highlights the enormous challenges we face.  In particular, it warns that current policy is incoherent. On the one hand, Government says it wants to encourage people to stay independent and remain in their own homes for as long as possible, which is what older people themselves also want, but on the other hand, by financing only those with greatest need, and reducing funding for those with moderate needs, people are denied the help they require to be able to live at home and it is inevitable that more people will end up in critical need.

“The report also highlights that the UK can once again be labelled the poor old man of Europe. It cites figures from the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) showing that the UK spends far less on social care for older people than many other European nations – we’re 17^th out of 20. Poland, Germany and Sweden spend 50% more than us, while France and Italy spend twice as much. We should be ashamed of the lack of spending on care, which is leading to an extremely undignified way of life for people growing old in the UK.

“The UK is also behind other countries in the use of telehealth and telecare services - but it is well known that monitoring people more effectively and treating them in their own home can save time and money for health and care services, and is better for them as well.

“The report assesses the various care funding options, including a partnership between paying for yourself and getting funding from the public purse, as well as insurance and savings options – whether voluntary or compulsory – or tax funded. The only certainty is that no single approach is going to suit everybody.

“We need new thinking, and there is no time to dither. More older people, means more demand for social care, but less funding and local authority cutbacks leave vulnerable voiceless victims at risk. It’s a time bomb. We must defuse it.”

Ends

Further information:
Dr. Ros Altmann
Director-General, Saga
ros.altmann@saga.co.uk
07545 504513
Twitter @SagaRosAltmann

Iain Macauley
im@pressrelations.co.uk
07788 978800
Twitter @Press_Relations

OECD CARE REPORT: A LOT GOING ON, BUT NOTHING ACTUALLY HAPPENING

DR ROS ALTMANN

DIRECTOR-GENERAL, SAGA

SAGA SOUNDBITE

May 23, 2011.

SAGA RESPONSE TO OECD CARE REPORT: A LOT GOING ON, BUT NOTHING ACTUALLY HAPPENING.

Commenting on the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) report that says Britain faces one of the biggest elderly care bills in the industrialised world, the Dr Ros Altmann, Director-General of over-50s lifestyle group Saga, said:

“There are some big political and financial ‘told-you-so’s’ out there, but nobody wants care to be one of them.

“Saga deals with a sector of the population, the over-50s, which numbers 21 million people – many of whom are touched by the issue of later-life care, whether needing it or providing it. We work continuously with carers and the families of those who need care, and we have our finger firmly on the financial pulse of the country as it affects the elderly.

“We’ve been saying for years that there’s simply no money for care in later life. Families aren’t or can’t save for it, local authorities are slashing budgets for it, and so far as the government is concerned there seems to be an awful lot going on but nothing actually happening.

“Positive findings or recommendations from the Dilnot Commission into care funding cannot come soon enough.”

Ends

Further information:

Dr. Ros Altmann

Director-General, Saga

ros.altmann@saga.co.uk

07545 504513

Twitter @SagaRosAltmann

Iain Macauley

im@pressrelations.co.uk

07788 978800

Twitter @Press_Relations