B P Collins Solicitors: talk to the experts
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PRESS RELEASE
A local expert in Elder Law has broadly welcomed Sir Derek Wanless' report on Social Care and Older People, commissioned by the Kings' Fund, but warns that the devil may be in the detail.
Sue Normanton, a specialist in this field with Thames Valley Solicitors B P Collins, commented on the report released on 30 March, saying: "The maze of complex regulation concerning long term care is difficult to negotiate and can often be bewildering for those it directly affects."
According to Sue, who is also an Associate member of Solicitors for the Elderly (a national association of specialist lawyers advising older people), the needs of the elderly often do not fit into neat categories of nursing or social care, yet certainty and clarity is what this vulnerable group of people require. To compound the problem, the number of people over 65 is set to increase greatly over the next few years, yet they are already by far the largest user group of health and social care services.
Although she welcomes as a positive step the report's recommendations that means-testing, often seen by older people as complex and intrusive, should be abolished, Sue calls for further concrete action. "If we are to tackle this growing social care crisis we need national criteria for NHS funding and a clear and fair pathway as to how contributions from the NHS, Local Authorities and the individual are to be determined."
ENDS
Media Enquiries:
Samantha Howe
Marketing Department
samantha.howe@bpcollins.co.uk
