SAGA LAUNCHES FREE OVER-50s iPHONE HEALTH APP.

SAGA SERVICES LTD

PRESS RELEASE

September 20, 2011.

SAGA LAUNCHES FREE OVER-50s iPHONE HEALTH APP.

Over-50s lifestyle organisation Saga has launched its first health-related app for iPhones as Health Secretary Andrew Lansley calls for new ideas for health related applications to help people make informed choices.

The new Saga Health App is available to download free from Apple’s iTunes App Store. It contains comprehensive information on medical conditions and health topics, as well as a database of private and NHS hospitals and contact details for a wide range of health specialists.

“Around 15-20% of over-50s use a smartphone, and older people do on occasion experience creaks and conditions that are more prevalent to their age bracket. The app is not intended to be a conclusive self-diagnosis tool, but does contain easy-to-use fact sheets on 180 medical conditions and health topics, providing information on things like symptoms, treatments and support organisations,” said Roger Ramsden, Chief Executive of Saga Services Ltd.

“It is designed to be useful to both Saga Private Medical Insurance policyholders and non-policyholders alike and provides access to free health information 24 hours a day.

“There is a database of more than 450 private and NHS hospitals that can be used by our policyholders and over 20,000 recognised specialists - for example cardiologists, physiotherapists and chiropractors - that can be searched for by specialty.

“Using the device’s in-built GPS, the app will even provide directions of how to find them from the iPhone user’s location.

“If the user is one of our existing PMI (private medical insurance) policyholders, they can even securely start the claims process on the new app, and if they aren’t, then we’ve made it easy for them to contact our team for a quotation.

“Of course, some wily older people might also see an opportunity to gain benefit on other fronts – many of the fact sheets also contain information that might just prove to be advantageous in pub quiz nights where the topic or round turns to medical matters…”

To download the FREE Health app from Saga visit the app store and search for Saga Health, or click here.

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.”

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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

THE MONSTER OVER THE HILL – THE CARE CRISIS LOOMS. DILNOT TO LEAD JUNE 7 DEBATE.

DR ROS ALTMANN
DIRECTOR-GENERAL, SAGA
PRESS RELEASE

June 6, 2011

THE MONSTER OVER THE HILL – THE CARE CRISIS LOOMS.

DILNOT TO LEAD SAGA'S SEMINAR IN SEARCH FOR SOLUTIONS.

Some of the most informed, visionary and influential people in social care will gather in London on Tuesday, June 7, 2011, in a bid to tackle the looming UK care crisis - the monster over the hill.

Andrew Dilnot, chairman of the Government’s Commission into Care Funding, will lead the debate at the Saga Care Crisis Seminar, which will be chaired by Dr Ros Altmann, Director-General of over-50s organisation Saga, and attended by a selection of the most senior care sector influencers.

“History is littered with ‘told-you-so’s’ – those of us who have a frontline appreciation of care issues are screaming that there’s a monster over the hill, but the policymakers either don’t see it, or are so dumbstruck by the magnitude of the threat that they’re frozen to the spot, and unable to respond or react,” said Dr Altmann.

“The care issue is invisible to many, but monstrous to those with direct care sector contact. The combined expertise and brainpower around that table on Tuesday knows that a care catastrophe is fast – and relentlessly – approaching.

“It is essential that we move on with reform of care funding – quickly and decisively - before we are overwhelmed. If we believed the pensions crisis was crippling, the care crisis has the potential to be far, far worse.  If someone does not have enough pension, they may be able to wait a bit.  But once someone needs critical care, they cannot wait at all.

“Very few people have earmarked any money for care needs. They just hope someone will look after them if the need arises. At least with pensions most people have done some saving, but, when it comes to care, there is no private provision - people just have to find the money at the time, and this can mean losing all their assets.

“The seminar will generate some definitive and do-able solutions, because, frankly, in the past, policymakers have come up with very little, have disguised petty political differences as insurmountable operational and organisational issues, and simply failed to make progress. Time is now running out in more ways than one.

“The crisis is creeping up on us. We must recognise the potential for the issue to overwhelm the system before it’s too late.”

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