Councils Cut Free Home Care for Older People

The number of older people who get their care fully paid for by their local authority has dropped by 11 per cent, according to research.  Labour’s shadow minister for care Liz Kendall MP received 121 responses to a freedom of information request to 153 councils on home care charges.  As well as finding the 11 per cent drop from 2009/10 to 2011/12, she also found the average charge for an hour of home care had increased by 10 per cent between 2009/10 to 2012/13 - from £12.29 to £13.61. The increase in home care charges means the average annual cost for an older or disabled person who pays for 10 hours home care a week has increased to £7,077 a year in 2012/13 – up more than £680 since 2009/10, the research found.  Ms Kendall said: ‘These increases in home care charges are a stealth tax on the most vulnerable people in society.” Read more on Inside Housing.