NEWS RELEASE FROM THE
REGISTERED NURSING HOME ASSOCIATION
Issued 30th September 2003
GOVERNMENT ‘PLAYING DANGEROUS MIND GAMES ON CARE OF OLDER PEOPLE’: WARNING FROM RNHA ON EVE OF LABOUR HEALTH DEBATE
On the eve of the Labour Party Conference’s debate on health and social care, which takes place in Bournemouth tomorrow morning (1st October), the Government has been accused of playing dangerous mind games with the providers of care for older people and of putting the needs of older people at the bottom of its political priorities.
Reacting to a statement by Health Minister Stephen Ladyman, in which he has appeared ready to accept the potential loss of a further 10,000 places for older people in care homes, the Registered Nursing Home Association (RNHA) described such a prospect as ‘disastrous’ for the health and welfare of one of the most vulnerable sections of the population.
Speaking on behalf of the RNHA today (30th September), chief executive officer Frank Ursell said: “We wonder whether the Minister will derive satisfaction from the fact that, by February 2004, his apparent new target for the number of places in the independent long-term care sector will probably have been brought about by Government inaction and neglect.”
He added: “Would the Minister like to tell older people what he proposes to do when the continued fall in care home places leads to a rise in delayed discharges of older people from hospital because there is nowhere suitable for them to go? And would he like to tell the nurses and other staff in nursing homes what he plans to do for them when their employers are forced to close these much-needed facilities because there isn’t enough money to pay the wages?”
There is no way, according to the RNHA, that the needs of chronically sick older people in Britain can be met if a further 10,000 places in care homes are lost in the near future. It claims that the contradictions and confusions of Government policy towards older people were getting progressively worse and more damaging.
Said Mr Ursell: “In policy statements made not so long ago, the Government suggested that local authorities should purchase more care home places in order to meet the level of need and help reduce bed blocking in the NHS. Now, it seems, there has been yet another complete u-turn and there is an expectation in the corridors of power that thousands of places could and possibly should be wiped out. As a consequence, older people will be plunged even further into a postcode lottery regarding the availability of nursing home beds in their area.
“Those in the independent care sector whose profession is to plan and provide services for older people do not know where they stand with this Government. Either it wants us to invest in better services and facilities or it wants us to shut up shop. Ministers should make up their minds and stop playing mind games with us.
“The Government has poured billions of pounds into a military adventure in Iraq whose justification appears increasingly less credible by the day. Yet it seems incapable of responding to the needs of older people who paid taxes throughout their working lives and now look to the State to help fund a decent level of care when they grow too frail or too sick to look after themselves.”
END
For further information and comment please contact:
Frank Ursell, chief executive officer, RNHA
(Tel: 0121-454 2511 or mobile 07785 227000)
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