Publications for professionals

Every political party's election manifesto should include an outline of long term entitlements to highlight a commitment to treating older people fairly, according to a report by housing and care provider Housing 21, Fair ageing: the challenge of our lifetime. The report brings together key messages and themes to emerge from a series of events organised by the Fabian Society for Housing 21 in partnership with Counsel and Care - the Fairness in an Ageing Society programme. It underlines that Britain has 'barely begun to adapt' to a new demographic structure which will require fundamental changes in how society functions.

The report, 'Campaigning for Quality Care in Care Homes', calls on the new commission on long-term care to consider how to radically improve the quality of care as well as how the care system will be funded in the future. Pamela Wells, the author of the report and a former carer, said that during her research for the report she interviewed carers, former carers, visitors to care homes, care workers and day centre staff. She was shocked to find her own experience being reaffirmed through the witness of others' experience and learned that there was an appalling lack of care of older and vulnerable older in far too many care homes.

In a new paper, 'Smarter spending for better care', Counsel and Care sets out ten ways in which current resources could be spent differently. These include:

Improved access to advice and information, particularly specialist financial advice:

* Support for families and carers
* Helping older people stay in their own home for longer
* Closer working between housing, health and care
* Greater use of new technology such as telecare
* Prevention through schemes like homechecks
* Volunteering and intergenerational schemes
* Access to drugs and treatments to reduce the impact of dementia.

The two organisations have called for homecare to be transformed in line with government policy that suggests that more older people should receive care at home. Fair charging and more time for care workers to carry out their duties are amongst the recommendations for a new vision for homecare.

The report found that care services with high star ratings spend up to 20% more on staff and their training, development and management, as well as putting service users at the centre of everything they do. Not-for-profit providers consistently get better quality ratings.

Counsel and Care has published VotingAge, an older people's manifesto. The manifesto includes forewords from the leaders of all three main political parties.

VotingAge was a consultation run by Counsel and Care - together with a leadership group made up mostly of older people - to identify the issues that affect older people's lives, and seek pledges from all three parties that the particular needs of older people will be in their general election manifestos. The findings of the consultation were presented to politicians and delegates at all the 2008 party conferences.