Long term care under microscope (From Hampshire Chronicle)

Long term care under microscope

10:17am Monday 22nd September 2008 in News

THE official consultation period on the future of "long term care" comes to an end on October 15 - the day after Age Concern Hampshire's Annual Conference in the Great Hall, Winchester.

Chris Perry, director of Age Concern Hampshire, said: "The timing of this conference could not have been better and we are extremely fortunate to have Alexandra Norrish with us who, as Head of Social Care Strategy and Head of the Green Paper on "Care and Support Reform" is responsible for drafting the long awaited Green Paper.

"An estimated 40,000 people per year have to sell their houses to pay for their long term care. And charging for long term care has not been out of the top five concerns of older people in Hampshire since we began compiling the charts some ten years ago.

"In August last year a report by the Joint Committee on Human Rights highlighted a catalogue of abuse and neglect of older people in hospitals and residential care. And the National Health Survey of England (April 2007) concluded that many of the conditions found among older people could be avoided by better health promotion and improved practice through primary care.

"Now some eight years after the Royal Commission on Long Term Care reported the Government has promised a Green Paper."

Mr Perry continued: "The need for long term care strikes at random and is the kind of shared risk that the Royal Commission on Long Term Care' so eloquently argued is best met out of taxation. And according to a recent Mori Poll, 75 per cent of the population would agree.

"It is to be hoped that when it emerges the Green Paper will consider: prevention, early intervention, alternatives to traditional residential and nursing care, the quality of care and how it should be paid for - as this conference will."

Presided over by Lawrie McMenemy, other speakers will include Cllr Ken Thornber, leader of Hampshire County Council and Chair of the Commission on Personalisation, Gordon Lishman, director general of Age Concern England, Carl Petrokofsky, of the Government Office of the South East, Dr John Beer, executive director of Adult Social Care for the City of Southampton, and there will be entertainment from Miss Helen Watson and ensemble and John and Bubbles Tree of the Zimmers.

The agm on Tuesday, October 14 is from 10.30am to 4pm and admission free with lunch optional, but phone 0800 328 71 54 to reserve your place.