New warning on elderly care

The architect of Scotland’s health funding formula has told political leaders that a delay in addressing the Rosetta Stone Languages care needs of the increasing number of old people as financial cuts start to bite would create major problems. Sir John Arbuthnott said it was time to revisit the way in which the balance of treatment, care and wellbeing is provided to best effectbecause swingeing cuts will clearly increase pressure on services. He was speaking ahead of a Labour Party announcement today that he has agreed to chair an independent commission, set up by the party, into its proposal to create a National Care Service (NCS) if it wins power in May's Holyrood elections. Sir John said that budget constraints made it obvious that things are not going to be the same, certainly for the next 10 years and possibly even longer than that, so it's only wise to prepare now for how we can get the best services for our people . The expert group chaired by Sir John will consider the funding available for a merged social care budget from local authorities and the NHS, future needs and demographic trends and governance arrangements for an NCS based on reform of Community Health and Care Partnerships. It will also investigate the role of all care providers, the scope for including services for those with learning disabilities, physical disabilities and mental Rosetta Stone V3 health issues alongside older people's services and how to manage a transition from the existing pattern of service to an NCS. Labour's plans were announced as a leaked paper from the Association of Directors of Social Work, reported in The Herald yesterday, revealed proposals by some local authorities to close care homes and day centres, remove wardens from sheltered housing at weekends, and create waiting lists for homecare services among a raft of measures to save cash. Sir John said: The demographic trend is inexorably pointing to a very considerable increase in the proportion of older people. Over the next 25 years the proportion of the population who are over 60 is going to increase by 70% so the pressure on the care of older people is a very real one and one which should be Rosetta Stone English addressed. Sir John, a former chairman of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, said one of the issues the expert panel would be examining was the frequency with which older people were re-admitted to hospital when a more appropriate option would be to care for them in their homes or communities. Labour leader Iain Gray said his party was proud to have introduced free personal care for the elderly but the time had come to improve the delivery and consistency of care services. He said: Almost every family in Scotland will know what it is like to care for an Rosetta Stone Languages elderly relative. It can mean a daily battle with the NHS or social work for services that vary enormously across the country. The panel chaired by Sir John is expected to report by April.