Dear Members,
I have FINALLY received this response from Stephen Ladyman to our letters. It's dated 10 September and I find it quite amazing that it has taken almost 6 weeks to travel from London to get here! I was tempted to rip this letter into a squillion pieces and dance on the top of it. I've restrained myself thus far and am reproducing it for 'entertainment' value only....... So -
'We recognise that dementia is a distressing condition for families as well as for those directly affected.
However, rather than making personal care free, we believe it is fairer to spend what it would cost to fund free personal care on improving services for all older people and their carers. The result of our decision is now becoming clear with the publication of this year's performance indicators. In England, 81,500 people are now able to receive extensive home care to maintain their independence. The proporition of people being supported in their own home has risen from 7.9 per 1000 households aged over 65 in 1998/99 to 10.5 per 1000 last year. Most older people tell us that what they want is to stay longer in their own home and this is being made possible because the money that would otherwise be spent on free personal care is being used to support home care for all older people.
It may also be helpful if I explain the distinction between personal care and nursing care. Personal care is any care that may be needed by someone to help him or her with personal needs such as bathing, dressing and undressing, eating and using the lavatory. It may also cover advice, encouragement and supervisision in these activities. Personal care costs are met either by the recipient or by the local authority on a means-tested basis, so depending on their circumstances, there may be a charge for this aspect of an individual's care.
In contrast, nrusing care refers to any action taken by a registrered nurse in providing planning and supervising a person's health care. Such care can be provided at home, in a care home, or a residential home. In October 2001, we delivered on our commitment set out in the NHS Plan to bring in free care from a registrered nurse for people paying for their care home fees themselves. NHS funded nursing care is assessed purely on he grounds of an idndividual's medical needs.
Also where an individual's assessed continuing medical needs are of a certain level, as defined by the SHS Authoritiy's eligibility critieria, then that individual's package of care is fully funded by the NHS and is described as NHS continuing care. It can be provided in a hospital, people's own homes or in care homes. Whre the NHS is providing continuing health care, in the context of a hospital or care home, all continuing care is available to people with dementia who meet the same needs criteria as are applied to people with any other condition.
I hope you find this information helpful.'
Stephen Ladyman
Er, yeah Stevie Baby, thanks for telling ME about personal care, as if I didn't get the point already...... Performance indicators? What a load of continuing b******.
Jude
I have FINALLY received this response from Stephen Ladyman to our letters. It's dated 10 September and I find it quite amazing that it has taken almost 6 weeks to travel from London to get here! I was tempted to rip this letter into a squillion pieces and dance on the top of it. I've restrained myself thus far and am reproducing it for 'entertainment' value only....... So -
'We recognise that dementia is a distressing condition for families as well as for those directly affected.
However, rather than making personal care free, we believe it is fairer to spend what it would cost to fund free personal care on improving services for all older people and their carers. The result of our decision is now becoming clear with the publication of this year's performance indicators. In England, 81,500 people are now able to receive extensive home care to maintain their independence. The proporition of people being supported in their own home has risen from 7.9 per 1000 households aged over 65 in 1998/99 to 10.5 per 1000 last year. Most older people tell us that what they want is to stay longer in their own home and this is being made possible because the money that would otherwise be spent on free personal care is being used to support home care for all older people.
It may also be helpful if I explain the distinction between personal care and nursing care. Personal care is any care that may be needed by someone to help him or her with personal needs such as bathing, dressing and undressing, eating and using the lavatory. It may also cover advice, encouragement and supervisision in these activities. Personal care costs are met either by the recipient or by the local authority on a means-tested basis, so depending on their circumstances, there may be a charge for this aspect of an individual's care.
In contrast, nrusing care refers to any action taken by a registrered nurse in providing planning and supervising a person's health care. Such care can be provided at home, in a care home, or a residential home. In October 2001, we delivered on our commitment set out in the NHS Plan to bring in free care from a registrered nurse for people paying for their care home fees themselves. NHS funded nursing care is assessed purely on he grounds of an idndividual's medical needs.
Also where an individual's assessed continuing medical needs are of a certain level, as defined by the SHS Authoritiy's eligibility critieria, then that individual's package of care is fully funded by the NHS and is described as NHS continuing care. It can be provided in a hospital, people's own homes or in care homes. Whre the NHS is providing continuing health care, in the context of a hospital or care home, all continuing care is available to people with dementia who meet the same needs criteria as are applied to people with any other condition.
I hope you find this information helpful.'
Stephen Ladyman
Er, yeah Stevie Baby, thanks for telling ME about personal care, as if I didn't get the point already...... Performance indicators? What a load of continuing b******.
Jude
Last edited:
