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

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