Age Concern reveals huge public worries about quality of care

28 April 2008

Bleak expectations of care in Britain revealed by charity

Eight of out ten people in Britain are very concerned about the quality of care they or their loved ones will get in later life, research for Age Concern reveals today. 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 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 is planning 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 if they need help with everyday tasks like 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 poll shows that our worries about the quality of personal care increase with age. Seven out of ten young adults (18-34 year olds) are very concerned about the quality of personal care that a loved one or they themselves would get. This rises to nine out of ten people aged 75 or older, by which time they are more likely to need some help or to know people who do.

Gordon Lishman, Director General of Age Concern said: “People are fed up with fighting to get the care they need in later life, either for themselves or for their loved ones. The care system clearly isn’t working, which is why radical reform is urgently needed. The Government urgently needs to set a timetable for change, so that people can be sure they are not being fobbed off.”

The charity’s campaign – “The Big Q” – 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.

If you want to show your support or find out more about the The Big Q campaign, please visit www.ageconcern.org.uk/care, email care@ace.org.uk or call Age Concern’s Campaigns team on 020 8765 7656.

To get a free copy of the campaign report “Quality not Inequality” please visit our website www.ageconcern.org.uk/care or call our information line on freephone 0800 00 99 66.