Which? research reveals people with long term conditions lose out to care due to postcode lottery - Alzheimer's Society comment
Which? research has revealed that people with conditions including dementia are being denied NHS funding due to where they live.
The research revealed that:
- People in England with the highest medical needs can be up to 25 times more likely to get their care costs covered depending on where they live.
- Families often have their funding withdrawn suddenly.
- Nearly all areas are failing to meet national framework guidance stating that in most cases people should not wait more than 28 days for a decision about whether they are eligible for funding.
Gavin Terry, Policy Manager at Alzheimer’s Society, says: “Dementia is often classed as a social, not health, care need by strict NHS criteria. People with dementia are therefore losing out as, while we can’t cure or effectively treat the condition, it’s social care, not free NHS care, that hundreds of thousands of people with the condition rely on every day.
“Reports like this back up what we hear time and time again from people living with dementia: they are not getting access to the care they need.
“1 million people will have dementia by 2021. We need a care system that is fit to meet the needs that go with such demand, including fair access, simple assessments and experienced support. It is simply unacceptable that people’s address should dictate what care or not they get for this devastating condition.”
