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Discrimination against self-funding residents in long-term residential care in England

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2003

FAY WRIGHT
Affiliation:
Age Concern Institute of Gerontology, King's College London.

Abstract

This paper reports the findings of research funded by The Nuffield Foundation on older people paying the full cost of their long-term residential or nursing home care in England. The research had three stages; a national postal survey directed at the senior finance officer in social services departments, follow-up telephone interviews with a sample of them, and interviews in five case study areas. Those interviewed included social services staff (including a legal adviser), care home providers, self-funding residents and relatives. These self-funding residents were commonly relatively physically independent on admission to the care home. Despite central government directives that needs assessments should be available regardless of a person's means, it is a common policy to encourage older people in this situation to admit themselves directly to care homes without a needs assessment. Wide variation was found in local authority practice in respect to being prepared to make a contract with a care-home provider for older people able to meet the full costs of care.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© 2003 Cambridge University Press

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