British Geriatrics Society
"The British Geriatrics Society welcomes the publication of the Wanless Review of social care and the acknowledgement of the importance of the needs of the frail older population. The Society would add that any future models of social care should ensure that all people receive a comprehensive assessment of their needs. These are shown to improve many aspects of well being including physical function, quality of life, cognition and reduction of short term mortality, as well as reducing admissions to care homes."
Conservatives
Responding to the publication of Sir Derek Wanless’s report on Social Care for Older People, Stephen O’Brien MP, Shadow Minister for Health, said: "In 1997, Tony Blair said that he did not want to live in a country where people are forced to sell their homes to pay for their care. However, up and down the country, many people are still being forced into precisely this position. For nine years, Tony Blair has done little to make his promise a reality.
"We welcome Sir Derek’s report, which is a useful contribution to the debate on long-term care funding. We particularly welcome his proposals to restrict means-testing which is not only demeaning, but which means that those who have taken care to provide for themselves in old age are in no better a position than those who have not done so.
"Our Policy Groups on Social Justice and Public Services Improvement will consider the report's conclusions carefully. It is clear that a partnership scheme - where private contributions are balanced fairly by state contributions - is the right principle on which to debate the future financing of long term care. Such a principle underpinned our long term care policy ahead of last year's General Election, and we will make use of Sir Derek’s report to develop and refine our policy ahead of the next General Election."
Healthcare Commission
Jamie Rentoul, the Healthcare Commission's Head of Strategy, said: "The report we published on Monday [27 March 2006] found that public services often fail to consider the special needs of older people.
"These are serious issues for society to address. The King's Fund report has emphasised that these challenges are going to grow.
"Our society has a deep-rooted attitudes to ageing and this often impacts on attempts to improve health and social care. We have got to put that right to have a chance of squaring up to the issues Derek Wanless has raised.
"His report will encourage an important public debate about spending priorities. But the challenge is also about changing attitudes. It doesn't necessarily cost money to treat people with dignity and respect or deliver services in a way that the user wants.
"There is a lot we can do right now to improve standards and breakdown the false barriers between hospital and community care, or health and social services."
Responses from individuals
Paul Downes
"As I understand it, your recent report recommends that a basic level of care should be provided for all, free of charge. For those who choose to pay extra, the government will match that payment pound-for-pound. It is a sad fact of life that some elderly people's families do not have their best interests at heart. I am concerned that some folk might be pressured into accepting only the basic care in order to protect their children's inheritance. I hope that safeguards will be provided to protect vulnerable elderly people from accepting less than they need or desire."
Tom Forbes, senior lecturer in business and management
"This is an interesting debate. In Scotland the Scottish Executive although under extreme pressure from London finally agreed two years ago to fund free personal and nursing care for the elderly. This was in part due to our parliamentary system of proportional representation and Labour needed the Libdems to form a government. The Libdems, SNP and the SWP put enough pressure on Labour for this to happen.
"The bill now runs at over £2 million per year. Free nursing care comes in at £210 per person per week with the client paying the rest - a nursing home comes in at £450-500 basic per week. This I feel has to be congratulated and as a 'higher' band tax payer I have no problems paying for it. A generation who gave their all and suffered extreme hardship during WWII now need help and are in England, at least , being abandoned in their hour of need. Shame on you Gordon Brown!"
Elizabeth Mitcham, community matron for long term conditions
"Thank you, thank you, for raising the profile of these issues in the public domain. As a nurse working with older people for many years and currently working as a community matron for long term conditions endeavouring to empower and enable older people with long term conditions and complex health and social care needs to maintain independence and remain within their own homes, the need for adequate and timely social care assistance is a major factor in the prevention of unnecessary hospital admissions.
"The system seems to operate on a crisis intervention only basis which can make downstream preventative initiatives very difficult to implement. The old adage ‘a stitch in time’ is surely applicable here as a social problem which is deemed low priority and therefore not entitled often quickly becomes a health issue and an unnecessary admission and even a delayed discharge thus perpetuating this fire-fighting approach and creating huge pressures within the system which are to the detriment of both health and social care systems and more importantly those in acute need.
"As a clinician I often find older people reluctant to reveal the true extent of their need for fear of being told that the only answer is for them to go into residential care and sell their home to fund it. This is so unfair and no way for a so-called civilized country to treat their older people. Many patients say to me 'I’ve lived too long haven’t I?' It is difficult to know how to respond. So again thank you. I hope that this will be the beginning of major changes within the current system."
