News

Older people who pay for their own residential care are not getting a fair deal, according to a new study from the Policy Press.

Asset Stripping: Local Authorities and Older Homeowners Paying for a Care Home Place finds that older people who pay for a care home place in England and Wales are unlikely to receive fair treatment from their local authority.

The report shows that many older people with assets in excess of £18,500 - beyond which they are not entitled to a local authority-funded care home place - do not receive a needs assessment from their council to determine whether residential or some other form of supported care is the best option for them.

Many local authorities employ strategies to discourage older people with assets over the upper capital limit from pursuing a needs assessment. Many older people and their relatives were not aware a needs assessment could be provided and missed out on advice about alternatives to residential care such as support services at home or moving into sheltered housing.

Overall the report found that local authority policies and practices differed considerably. There was a huge variation in the circumstances in which local authorities will make a contract with an independent care home provider for an older person funding their own care.

Local authority contracts are usually better than contracts made by an individual payer as the authority can monitor the quality of the placement, check contract compliance and review a resident's well-being. But many individuals were unaware that local authorities could negotiate contracts on their behalf.

- Policy Press, Asset Stripping: Local Authorities and Older Homeowners Paying for a Care Home Place from 01235 465 500.