For quality care in old age... fund it yourself

insurance

The long-term care people receive in old age relies on their local health authority and the outcome of means testing, so the only way to ensure high-quality care is to try and fund it yourself

The spate of headlines about the government's difficulties - Prescott, Clark, the local election results, cabinet reshuffle and succession speculation - have moved the media's gaze away from the issue of long-term care. But public funding reform of care for the elderly and infirm is unfinished business and once political normality is restored, this issue will once again feature high on the barometer of public opinion. The figures speak for themselves. According to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation demographic projections show that the number of people aged over 85 will rise from 1m to nearly...