Some councils are charging more than £20 per hour for the same home care someone else
living just yards away is receiving for free.
The cost of care that covers paying for help with dressing, washing and meals for the elderly
and people with special needs was investigated by consumer watchdog Which.
The investigation found widely varying standards of care between different councils –
including for people living on opposite sides of the same street that is council boundary in
some cities.
For instance, Tower Hamlets and Newham provide free home care for those with critical and
substantial needs yet just across London, Lambeth residents pay up to £17.67 an hour for the
same service.
Some councils have a cap on how much people are charged, but this too can vary hugely, from
£60 a week in Barnsley to £850 a week in Brighton.
Only a few councils are making care available for everyone, with 70% of authorities only
providing for those with substantial or critical needs.
Saving for retirement punished by forced home sales
Which chief executive, Peter Vicary-Smith said: “It’s ludicrous that people living just a few
miles apart can pay such wildly different amounts for the same services. Everyone should
have comparable access to the care and support they need to remain independent and in their
own home, regardless of where they live.
“By intervening early, the few councils that do provide home care for everyone who needs
it are saving themselves money in the long-run as providing care gets more expensive as
people’s needs become more critical.”
Meanwhile, last year, more than 20,000 pensioners were forced to sell their homes to meet
care home fees due to rules that punish savers who have put money aside for their retirement.
Anyone living in England with cash or assets of more £23,500 – including a home – has to pay
the full cost of their care while everyone else is looked after for free.
The trend has increased in line with rising house prices with more than 100,000 people giving
up their homes to fund care costs since 2005.
