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Delegates voted to continue Unison's Right to Care campaign, which was launched last July, to extend free nursing and personal care for older people beyond Scotland and Northern Ireland.

The campaign, which is supported by more than 20 organisations such as Age Concern and Mencap, accused the government of introducing a system that was "confusing and extremely unfair" and described the failure to provide free nursing and personal care as a "scandal".

Leeds branch member Anne Cherie said that without free care there could be a return to geriatric wards. The union is to set up a working party to examine ways of funding free personal care in England.

Free nursing care was introduced in Northern Ireland last October following pressure from the Right to Care campaign. Free personal care was introduced in Scotland in July 2002.