Elderly paying £1.6bn in social care charges - Lamb

8.34.00am BST (GMT +0100) Wed 8th Oct 2008

Elderly people paid £1.6bn in charges for their social care last year, new figures released today have revealed. These charges, levied on older people by local authorities under the means-tested social care regime, accounted for one fifth of all spending on services for older people, which totalled £8.9bn.

A breakdown of contributions shows that older people paid:

· £892m towards residential care

· £258m towards home care

· £37m towards equipment and adaptations

Commenting, Liberal Democrat Shadow Health Secretary, Norman Lamb said:

“The current long-term funding system for personal care for the elderly in England is simply not workable.

“It is unfair, ineffective and unsustainable. People who use or work in the system find it irrational, confusing and unjust.

“The Government has been dithering over reform for too long. We need radical reform of the system now.

“The Liberal Democrats have proposed an extra £2bn to help fund a Care Guarantee which would entitle all older people to a personal care payment, based on need and not the ability to pay.”