Lib Dems promise free care

Lib Dems want free care for elderly

One in four of the potential voters next week is of pensionable age...and many of those will have a particular interest in one of the policies being proposed by the Liberal Democrats.

Alone amongst the main parties, the Lib Dems want to see the implementation of the Sutherland report - which says that long-term care for the elderly, and not just nursing care, should be free for everyone.

We think this distinction between nursing and personal care is very, very arbitrary

Rodney Bickerstaffe

The party claims that last year alone, at least 70,000 people had to sell their homes to pay for care: the cut off point for allowable savings is still so low that owning a house always rules out the right to free care.

Too expensive

Neither Labour nor the Conservatives think this is the best way to spend a billion pounds or so. Tony Blair said this morning that Labour provided free nursing care but that the money which could provide free personal care was being used in other ways to help people.

Dr Liam Fox, for the Conservatives, said seven out of ten people in residential care already have their personal care paid for and extending the right further would not be the best use of money.

Pensioners' reaction

Not surprisingly, Rodney Bickerstaffe, now President of the National Pensioners' Convention, has no trouble choosing between the parties on the issue of long-term care.

Burstow: system is unfair

He stressed on the World at One that provision of care was a moral and social issue, and there should be a universal principle underlying provision.

Bed shortage

One problem for all parties is the shortage of long-term care beds.

The majority of the provision - for more than a quarter of a million people - is in private-sector residential and nursing homes, and those homes have been going out of business at a rapid rate.

Eight hundred were closed last year alone. Last November the Department of Health started talks with the Association representing care-homes, and negotiations have continued since then to ensure that the private-sector continues to play a central role.

The state should be doing more

Paul Burstow

Barry Hassell, chief executive of the Independent Healthcare Association told the World at One local authorities had been remiss in paying adequate fees for residents in care homes and therefore 15,000 beds had been lost in recent years.

He claimed that provision of care services by private companies was 50% cheaper than provision by the public sector.

Moral issue

The Liberal Democrats say fully funding long term care is a moral issue.

The World at One spoke to their pensions spokesman, Paul Burstow.

He told us the state should be doing more and the health and social care system should be about redistributing wealth to the sick and disabled.