Age UK warn of ‘devastating’ funding cuts
30 I 06 I 11
The charity Age UK has revealed
data showing that care budgets for older people have been reduced
by £610 million, or 8.4% annually.
The data was based on the responses
of 110 authorities and calculated by comparing the net expenditure
on older people’s social care between 2011/12 and 2010/11.
Michelle Mitchell, Charity Director
at Age UK, said: 'Funding for social care is already inadequate and
the system today is failing many older people at the time when they
really need help.
'We anticipate these cuts will
condemn many more older people to a miserable existence behind
closed doors struggling to keep safe and well.'
Age UK is also calling for the
Government to commit to an essential £3 billion additional spending
on social care to ensure that it meets its legal duty to provide
care to vulnerable older people.
This story comes in the wake of the
Southern Cross homes crisis and other headlines around care of the
elderly.
Nicola Sidoli, Senior Associate
with the Specialist Nursing Care Team at leading law firm Hugh
James says:
‘We talk to many families
struggling to meet the needs and costs of caring for elderly
relatives. Any cuts to spending on social care could have a
dramatic effect on families already at crisis point.’
Many people don’t realise that if
you or a relative are in a nursing or care home because of physical
or mental health needs, you may be paying fees that should have
been funded by the NHS.
If you would like to find out more
about reclaiming nursing care fees please contact us either by
filling in the online form on our website or by calling our
specialist team on 029 2022 4871. We have successfully recovered
over £18million in wrongly paid nursing home fees and have
represented thousands of families across England and
Wales.