NHS underfunding means self-funded elderly also paying for ‘council-funded’ care home residents

Due to lack of NHS funding, those paying for their care are also supporting council-funded residents in care homes. These homes in more deprived areas are closing because the councils do not have the budget to fund elderly people staying there and residents cannot afford to self-fund their care. Care England have threatened legal action in arguing that the current funding formula does not cover their costs in many cases. Ian Hudspeth, of the Local Government Association, said: “Adult social care faces a £3.6billion funding gap by 2025 just to stand still. This needs to be addressed in the Spending Review and the Government’s much-delayed green paper must provide the long-term sustainable funding solution which adult social care urgently needs.”

Full article in The Mirror, 2 July 2019