NEWS RELEASE FROM THE
REGISTERED NURSING HOME ASSOCIATION IN WALES
Issued 10th April 2002
CARE HOMES WANT TALKS WITH COUNCILLORS
AND ASSEMBLY MEMBERS TO END 'CRISIS'
Councillors in some South Wales local authorities and members of the Welsh Assembly are being asked to meet a group of nursing home owners, staff and patients' relatives to explore possible long-term solutions to the current funding crisis that has already caused dozens of homes to close and is threatening many others.
Despite earlier cash 'hand outs' from the Assembly to help Welsh local authorities meet the rising cost of care, they have not been enough.
Homes throughout Wales, particularly in the south of the country, now find themselves in an escalating dispute with social services departments, which are refusing to increase fees for publicly funded patients. Some departments have even stopped referring new patients to local nursing homes.
Many homes in South Wales have now written to local councillors and Welsh Assembly members in a bid to kick-start talks that will end the dispute and lay the foundations for the provision of high quality nursing care to older people across the country.
Commented Anthony Ramsey-Williams, chairman of the Registered Nursing Home Association in Wales: "It's in everyone's interests to resolve the dispute. As a sign of good faith, many nursing homes have withdrawn for one week the notice they had previously given social services departments of their intention to increase fees from next month. This opens the gates to intensive talks between all the parties involved."
He added: "The Welsh Assembly has a key role to play in all this. So we are requesting meetings with Assembly members to exchange information and discuss ideas for putting long-term elderly care on a more stable and satisfactory footing for the future."
The nursing homes in the centre of the dispute say their earlier notices of fee increases were prompted by local authorities' refusal to negotiate. They say they are heartened by statements from the Assembly Minister for Health and Social Care, Jane Hutt, who has acknowledged the inadequacy of current funding for elderly care.
"We welcome the Minister's comments," said Mr Ramsey-Williams. "Now we are keen to find out what her next step will be to tackle a crisis that is rapidly getting out of hand."
END
Anthony Ramsey-Williams, Chairman of the Registered Nursing Home Association in Wales (Tel: 01792 235134)
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