Age Concern's response to new CSCI report

10 January 2007

Responding to the new ‘State of Social Care’ report from the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) –

Age Concern’s Director General, Gordon Lishman, said:

“This is a damning indictment of a social care system that is failing older people. Not providing services for people with so-called moderate needs causes much anguish for the individual – but can also result in much higher and more expensive care needs in the future. The Government has said it wants more care delivered at home but this report just highlights that fewer and fewer people have been receiving social care in recent years.

“The Government cannot afford to bury its head in the sand any longer. How we fund the system is one of the biggest challenges facing our ageing nation. We urgently need a mature debate about what the State will provide and what individuals need to do for themselves, similar to the successful debate we had on achieving pensions reform.

“Unfortunately this report just confirms the experiences of older people. Those receiving care at home have seen services withdrawn and prices increased, while those in care homes and their families often find themselves subsidising the pitiful amounts local authorities pay for care.”

 “Older people are also let down by the quality of care delivered in care homes. It is unacceptable that 61% of care homes don’t meet minimum standards of managing medication safely and 57% don’t ensure there is an appropriate care plan for its older residents.”