 Wanless report calls for overhaul of care system |
Elderly people are being let down by the current system of means-testing for care, according to a long-awaited study this morning. The year long inquiry, for the independent think tank The King's Fund, has highlighted serious short-comings in social care for elderly people.
And it's warning that Britain will have to spend far more of its national income on care for the elderly over the next two decades, as the population grows older.
This morning on Breakfast:
We asked: who cares for the elderly?
Watch our interview with the minister responsible for care Liam Byrne MP from the link to the right He said care in the home was being expanded and that was the best place for people to be looked after.
We heard Harry's story: how one family faced the problem of looking after their elderly father, after he had a stroke - watch again from the link to the right And we heard from the report's author, Derek Wanless, the former NatWest Bank executive who's been leading the King's Fund's inquiry And: we want to hear your stories too: The King's Fund report calls for the current means-tested care system to be scrapped.
In its place, everyone in need would be entitled to an agreed level of free care, which they could top up if they wanted.
If this system were in place at the moment, the Wanless report reckons that half a million more elderly people would be getting some form of care from social services, such as home care, day care or a place in a residential home.
But it would mean almost doubling the amount of Britain's national income spent on caring for the elderly over the next two decades - to nearly 2% of our entire economic output.
Ageing population
As a nation, we're living longer. Generally, that's good news - but it will put a huge burden on today's generation of children as a they struggle to look after their parents.
In two decades' time, experts predict that the number of people aged over 85 will have doubled.
Those needing high levels of care are expected to rise by 50%. But the birth rate is falling, which means there will be fewer young people to look after them
The Wanless report points to widespread levels of dissatisfaction with the current system, which is patchy and difficult to understand.
Means-testing can mean that those with modest savings or assets - such as the family home - end up losing out.
Read more on the report from the King's Fund website via the link to the right of this page Next week, the Green Goddess Diana Moran will be returning to Breakfast, for two special reports on care homes. You can use this form to e-mail the Breakfast team direct
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