The Live Wire



Press Release

Age UK comment on NAO report: 'Oversight of user choice and provider competition in care markets'

15 September 2011

Michelle Mitchell, Charity Director at Age UK said:

“Providing good care to every older person who needs it should be a basic requirement of a civilised society. Older people also need stability especially if they are care home residents. The National audit Office says local authorities should have plans in place to take action if services fail, but they also need to prevent services going out of business. This report confirms the absolute need for a strong regulating body to ensure that there are the right elements in place to prevent care homes from failing.

It's encouraging that older people are using their personal budgets in innovative ways but people who are given cash payments to buy care should be given support for how to spend it. The report finds appalling wide variation in the availability of support – in the worst case only 38% of the people received help in spending their budget.

"The current system is failing many older people. None of us wants to live in a society where older people have to struggle alone, isolated, scared and vulnerable for the last years of their lives.



Press releases, papers and documents published on this page are the intellectual property of an organisation unrelated to Central Lobby. We promote their parliamentary and political campaigning activities as they are subscribers to the Central Lobby service.

As such, Central Lobby does not edit, endorse, or attempt to balance the opinions expressed on this page. The content of press releases and other such types of content are the responsibility of the originating organisation.

Age UK

Age UK

More from Dods

© Dods Parliamentary Communications Ltd