GOVERNMENT FUNDING FOR OLDER PEOPLE’S SERVICES MUST HAVE GREATER PRIORITY

Anchor Trust Chief Executive John Belcher has called for greater public sector funding of older people’s services following the government’s announcement of its spending priorities for the next three years. October 2007.

Dr Belcher said:

“The commitment in the Comprehensive Spending Review to increase health care funding above the level of inflation is encouraging but it needs to translate into a significant and sustained increase in funding at a local level if the needs and aspirations of older people are to be met.

“The increase in direct funding for social care to £1.4 billion by 2010 is vital given the massive anticipated increases in the older population. The devil will be in the detail but I fear the additional funds announced today will be insufficient to meet the aspirations of the growing population of older people, who are facing increasingly high care needs.

“By 2020 there will be nearly three million more people in the UK over the age of 65 than today. But action is needed now if we are, in the Prime Minister’s own words, to give older people more control over their care and better personal care so that they can stay in their own homes.

“Increased funding for the Government’s Homes for the Future agenda, which proposes an increase in housing supply and more cohesive communities, is welcome. However, the Government needs to focus on the specific needs of older people in particular and to better integrate housing options across a range of tenures with health and social care.

"I am glad the Government has noted that changing demographics will have an impact on demand for housing. But it is alarming that the section of the Comprehensive Spending Review about the Department for Communities and Local Government fails to refer directly to the housing needs of older people at a time when numbers are increasing. We are at a watershed in our provision of housing in the UK and the aspirations of older people must not be ignored at this crucial time.

“Anchor Trust hopes that the forthcoming National Strategy for Housing in an Ageing Society will directly address the need for high quality housing, support and care, while setting out a programme for Government investment.”

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