Roger Hargreaves, the company’s divisional manager for community meals, said: “The Government is perhaps missing the point with its plans for care loans for those who can’t afford to support themselves at home.
“The real focus should be on safeguarding those services that keep the elderly out of the care system in the first place.
“Take, for example, meals on wheels, a service that is conspicuous by its absence from today’s announcement. Reduced funding cuts for front-line services such as this have been well-documented over recent months but less well-documented is the financial – not to mention social – argument for such services in helping elderly people remain in their own homes for as long as possible.
“The cost of care home provision in the UK is expected to reach a staggering £15.6bn by 2020, while the estimated cost of domiciliary care provision will be far lower at £1.2bn with an additional £51.3m subsidy for the provision of a ‘Meals on Wheels’ service.
“This is why we believe there is the potential opportunity for the UK economy to save in excess of £1bn each year, by keeping people in their own homes for longer, through the support of a robust ‘Meals on Wheels’ service.
“There comes a time when entry into the care system can no longer be delayed, but any measures that help elderly people remain in the comfort and dignity of their own homes will ultimately go a long way to making considerable cost savings in the longer term.”
The main proposals for reform in the Social Care White Paper are:
* Introduction of a national eligibility criteria ensuring minimum level of support and continuity of care, portable between local authority areas
* New national information website on care and support
* New code of conduct and minimum training standards for care workers and social workers
* Legal entitlement to personal budgets, and a commitment to improving independent advice on using personal budgets
* The role of NICE expanded to include social care, who will produce quality standards
* New safeguarding legislation to ensure all agencies involved in a person’s care are working together to prevent abuse
* Additional funding to support the integration of health and social care
* Duties on new health structures and local authorities to promote the integration of health and social care services
* In principle commitment to the Dilnot Commission’s recommendation of a cap on the costs of residential care
* Introduction of a universal deferred payment scheme