All nursing home residents in Wales receive £100 for care

The Welsh Assembly has announced that all nursing home residents
in Wales will receive £100 per week to cover the cost of their
nursing care from December 3, writes
Anabel Unity Sale.

Welsh Assembly health and social services minister Jane Hutt
said the payments were “a fair, reasonable and affordable
contribution from the NHS towards care costs”.

She said: “(This) will bring much-needed reform to the funding
arrangements for long term care and will bring a substantial
benefit to those paying for their own care.” She added that an
additional £1 million was being provided to support the move
to the single tier arrangement.

Under the arrangements in England that began on October 1,
people living in nursing homes receive free nursing care up to
£35, £70 or £110 per week depending on their level
of need.

Liz Hewett, secretary of the Royal College of Nursing in Wales,
said: “We believe that £100 is not enough and we would hope
that additional funds would be allocated to nursing care to benefit
nursing home residents in Wales.”

Robert Taylor, Age Concern Cymru director, said: “We are pleased
that the assembly has gone for a single tier rather than three tier
because it is clear and straightforward.”

He added that he was concerned the payments did not start until
December, and that the assembly was not planning to backdate for
the same period as in England.

A Welsh Assembly spokesperson said payments would be backdated
to November 5.