Members of the Lords call for social care to be made FREE

Conservative, Lord David Prior and Labour’s Lord Ara Darzi are calling for ‘radical streamlining’ of damaging reforms under former health secretary Andrew Lansley.

The government should make social care free to everyone who needs it to take pressure off the NHS, former Labour and Tory health ministers have said.

The Lords have also called for a “radical streamlining” of NHS organisations to roll back the damaging reforms implemented by former health secretary Andrew Lansley. “Abolishing means testing of social care would end the scandal of people with significant care needs facing bills in the hundreds of thousands of pounds for care”, they said.

Cuts to social care funding under the Conservatives have seen the numbers of people receiving state-funded care falling five per cent a year. But it is costing the NHS £3bn a year to care for people in hospital who are fit enough to be sent home but haven’t got sufficient support, and free services for people with “critical” or “substantial” needs would help.

Elderly people in residential accommodation would still be expected to pay their own housing costs if they can afford to, as at present. To read more about this story visit the Independent’s website.