New figures obtained by Age Concern suggest there is a postcode lottery for continuing care in England with some areas recording up 40 times more care recipients than others.
The statistics, obtained from the Department of Health, show that some primary care trusts give continuing care to just one in every 20,000 adults, while several give care to more than 40 in every 20,000 adults.
Age Concern director general Gordon Lishman said the figures showed 'the scale of this problem is unbelievable'.
He added: "At present some older people, who are paying all the costs of their care, have higher needs than those who are fully funded in other areas."
The charity emphasised that while the figures suggested overall a postcode lottery, some of the PCTs surveyed in 2005-6 no longer existed and continuing care can be measured differently in different areas.
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