Dementia Care Funding Shortfall (Exeter Liberal Democrats)

Exeter Liberal Democrats <info@exeterlibdems.org.uk>

Dementia Care Funding Shortfall

February 5, 2010 9:20 AM

Graham Oakes has described the government's Home Care proposals as "too little, too late"

"I welcome the Government's plans to extend the provision of homecare to 110,000 extra people, but these proposals are based on inaccurate data. We now know the government's estimate of the number of people in the UK with dementia, a major sector supported by Home Care, are wrong having underestimated the number of cases by 15%"

Graham Oakes, a Nurse, is also concerned that the proposals are only focused on one area of the service that older people need.

"Older people should be given the choice about where they receive the care they need, for some that will be in their own homes but for others it will be within a care home setting. This proposal is focused on just one element of that choice and therefore could distort the market"

"Whilst Home Care is the best way to support people in their own homes, for some the severely limited time for visits results in many people becoming socially isolated. They become imprisoned and lonely in their own homes."

The Prime Minister announced this proposal without consultation at the Labour conference in September.

"I think this proposal has not been fully thought through and has more to do with winning votes than helping vulnerable older people. I would urge the government to announce a delay in the implementation of the Bill, should it be passed, to allow the home care sector to gear up for the increased demand. The size of the task of recruiting and training the number of new staff should not be under estimated."

Graham is also concerned about how the new posts are to be funded. The Government expects the County Council (or Unitary Councils if these are set up) to part fund these new staff. Councils are already making cuts and will struggle to find the extra money required. The Local Government Association believe the actual costs will be far higher than the Government anticipate as demand will rise as it did in Scotland - the funding of the additional demand would fall solely on the councils.

"The proposals should be fully funded if they are to have any real chance of succeeding. The local councils are already facing significant cuts this year and to ask them to pick up possibly 50% of the cost is totally unrealistic."