Volunteers are seen as the answer to the UK’s growing care problems because of the rising number of elderly people says government minister Norman Lamb.

Lamb was quoted as saying that modern families and the government were unable to meet demand because of a “neglectful” society.

Referring to “the dispersal of the extended family” he described a growing number of elderly people were now left lonely and that the state could not be expected to look after them.

His answer was to rely on volunteers to fill this care gap and suggested a version of “neighbourhood watch” to look after the care needs in the community.

“On our very streets we have people who live on their own, who don’t see anyone and whose relatives might visit once a month or whatever, but what’s life like in between?” he said.

Comparing the UK with Spain, where he said elderly people were looked after by their families, he said that the UK had become a “neglectful society”. To read more click here

Age UK and The Care and Support Alliance warn that individuals in England may lose access to home care under draft government guidelines.

The regulations, which are subject to consultation, set out the care needs someone must have to qualify for council-funded care.  Age UK, warn that the new guidelines will result in many individuals who require care being blocked from the home care system.  The Government refute these suggestions with the Care Minister Norman Lamb insisting that the system to be introduced will be much fairer.

Alzheimer’s UK  state that the new guidelines which should be introduced in April 2015, will see all local authorities in England use the same minimum guidelines for determining whether they should provide care.

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Local councils have indicated that the Better Care Fund designed at integrating health and social care services needs the Government to commit to the fund over the longer term, at least until 2012. They insist that this is vital to ensure that the care system does not spiral into a “deep crisis”.

The aim of the £3.8bn Better Care Fund is to impact posistively on the number of hospital admissions and by providing more home treatment as well also allowing far greater support to people being discharged from hospital, prevent unnecessary admissions at weekends and reduce the number of people in residential care.

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A report from the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries (IFoA) states that the cap on the cost of elderly care in England is not what people are expecting and says that individuals seeking financial assistance are in for a shock!

The report states that the £72,000 limit on what people will have to pay will benefit just 8% of men and 15% of women. It confirms that as the proposed cap, to be introduced in 2016, is on direct care costs only individuals will spend around £140,000 before they reach this limit.

One of the IFoA report’s authors, Thomas Kenny, said: “Anyone who is expecting that the cap will pay for care is in for a shock. The cap is there to protect against catastrophic care costs and we estimate that few people entering care aged 85 years will reach it.” The IFoA said that because the cap did not cover accommodation and living expenses – but rather the amount a local authority pays for care – an elderly person could be expected to spend £140,000 on average before qualifying.

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