Greg Mulholland-Working Hard For Leeds North WestNEW FIGURES SHOW OLDER PEOPLE PAYING BILLIONS IN CARE CHARGES - MULHOLLAND
October 7, 2008 12:00 PM
Elderly people paid £1.6bn in charges for their social care last year, new figures released today have revealed. These charges, levied on older people by local authorities under the means-tested social care regime, accounted for one fifth of all spending on services for older people, which totalled £8.9bn.
A breakdown of contributions shows that older people paid:
· £892m towards residential care
· £258m towards home care
· £37m towards equipment and adaptations
Commenting, Liberal Democrat Shadow Health Minister and Older People's Spokesperson Greg Mulholland MP said:
"These charges prove that there are serious flaws in the current social care system.
"The fact that across the country elderly people are paying over a billion in social care charges points to a system which is unfair, unsustainable, and unworkable.
"There is a clear and pressing need for a radical overhaul of the social care system, reform which is long overdue."
ENDS
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