Hugh James supports reforms on Care Home costs
01I07I09
Hugh James supports the reforms on Care Home
costs
The Department of Health
is expected to announce on Tuesday radical reforms to the way that
people pay for their future care.
It was highlighted in
today’s Daily Telegraph that the long awaited Green Paper
discussion document is intended to tackle the spiralling cost of
care for the ageing population. It is anticipated that there will
be a range of measures that could mean that elderly people would
not be forced to sell their homes to pay for care.
Lisa Morgan, Solicitor
with the Specialist Nursing Care Team at leading law firm Hugh
James welcomes the reforms. “Thousands of people a year are being
forced to sell their homes to pay for care. In our experience this
causes anxiety and distress to individuals and their families. The
current rules are complex and unfair and we welcome a reform of the
system”.
In Wales health care is
provided free by the NHS but where the individual’s main need is
social care, the local authority is entitled to means test the
individuals’ ability to pay. Those with more than £22,000 capital
must pay their own fees. As nursing home fees are an average of
between £500 and £700 per week the cost can escalate into thousands
of pounds.
In Wales, the public
consultation on the future of paying for care ended on the 28
February 2009. The Welsh Assembly Government intends to publish a
Green Paper in the autumn. This will set out its proposals for
reforming the system for paying for care.
Hugh James is holding a
debate on 14 July 2009 to discuss this and other social care issues
in Wales. Airing their views on this controversial topic will
be:
- Ruth Marks – Commissioner for Older
People
- Tina Donnelly – Royal College of Nursing
- Claudia McVie – Tenovus
- Robert Taylor – Age Concern Cymru & Help
The Aged Wales
- Ian Thomas – Alzheimers Society Wales
- Mario Kreft – CareForum Wales
- Lisa Morgan – Hugh James
For further information about the debate contact
exchange@hughjames.com
For further information
contact:
Charlotte Allan, Marketing Executive, Hugh
James on 029 2066 0587
or email: charlotte.allan@hughjames.com