Postcode lottery for healthcare strikes again
By Tony Watts - Editor - 14/05/2008
Eight of out ten people in Britain say they are “very concerned” about the quality of care that they or their loved ones will get in later life. According to new research conducted for Age Concern, four out of ten people are not even confident they will be treated with dignity or respect - despite a high profile Government campaign to address this.
The report comes hard on the heels of further damaging research which shows that the level of care that older people receive in the community varies massively around the country – effectively it is now a postcode lottery.
The charity is launching a major new campaign – “The Big Q” – challenging all the party leaders to match their rhetoric with a commitment to radical reform to improve the quality of care, ahead of a public consultation the Government plans to hold later this year.
Polling carried out for Age Concern found that people of all ages and incomes are deeply concerned about the quality of the personal care they would get should they ever need help with everyday tasks such as getting out of bed, washing, dressing or taking medication. The charity described the findings as further evidence of how the care system is routinely failing older people and their families.
The charity’s Big Q campaign sets out five building blocks for the foundation of a new quality care system in its new report “Quality not Inequality”:
• Respecting people’s dignity
• Enabling people to maintain their independence
• Ensuring fairness for all who need care
• Giving clarity about getting the support you need
• Increasing the amount of money available to provide quality care
Age Concern will be holding its own consultation events up and down the country which will challenge councillors and politicians to listen and act on the views of local people.
To show your support or find out more about the Big Q campaign, visit the website linked below, email care@ace.org.uk or call the Age Concern’s Campaigns team on 020 8765 7656.
The news that so many people are losing faith in care provision is hardly surprising with other news that fewer people are now getting Continuing NHS Healthcare overall, despite the introduction of new Government guidelines to make entitlement fairer. This should have qualified an additional 5,500 people for Continuing NHS Healthcare.
Disturbingly, huge differences remain in how many people are getting continuing care between Primary Care Trusts (PCTs). The PCT with the lowest record for paying out for continuing care - Gloucestershire - is offering funding to nearly sixteen times fewer people than Coventry, the PCT that reported the highest figure.
According to Gordon Lishman, Director General of Age Concern, “Some areas of the country seem to be black spots for older people needing continuing care.
“Frail older people should not be denied the care they are entitled to because of where they happen to live. PCTs need to iron out these inconsistencies or face more claims for compensation.
“The government must stop talking about fixing this problem and start delivering.”