The news the Government is considering using private nursing homes for convalescence is a welcome recognition that the private sector has an important role to play in long term care.
It is also good to see it has taken on board the fact that a period of rehabilitation and convalescence can lead to a significant improvement in quality of life following a major incident such as a stroke, heart attack or accident.
There are those who bemoan anything to do with the private sector, but any improvements to the current system which will both reduce pressure on NHS beds and give older people a better chance of improving their quality of life cannot be a bad thing.
If the proposed system were to go ahead, it is important that it is viewed by both local NHS hospitals and private nursing homes as a stepping stone to help the patient recover and be able to return home. It would defeat the object of the exercise if private homes were to use it as an opportunity to increase their occupancy rates by institutionalising someone who could recover enough to live at home.
Another event of note was the publication of the Audit Commission report Charging with Care, which looked at the current situation regarding the way local councils charge for home care. Some of the more interesting statistics include:
l 420,000 people over the age of 65 receive home care provided by their local council.
l 94% of councils now charge for home care services.
l 62% of councils take account of users' savings until they have been drained to a lower limit.
l Some councils ignore attendance allowance, while others aim to take up to 90% of it in charges.
l Users in similar circumstances but different areas face charges that vary from nothing to over £100 per week for the same level of service.
It is unacceptable that there should be such a wide level of inconsistency in the system and it is clear the Government needs to take action. It has been implied that the White Paper on long term care expected in July will cover this important issue.
Clarification and consistency will certainly make the job of anyone advising a potential customer on long term care insurance much easier. At the moment, IFAs ought to be aware of the local conditions, although it is unlikely many are due to the difficulty in obtaining all the relevant information from the local council.
The language of the Audit Commission report is one of a requirement for clarity and consistency in an expectation that individuals will need to pay for care in the home if they can afford to. It is likely that the only service that will remain free in the home is that already provided by the NHS and that personal and domestic care services will be provided on a means test basis.
Let us hope the White Paper clarifies the position once and for all.
