An “unjustifiable postcode lottery” means that some elderly people are 160 times more likely than others to get long-term care paid for by their local authority, according to a report.
Age Concern found that Derby City Primary Care Trust paid for seven people to be looked after last year, or 0.26 people per 10,000, while Harrow PCT funded the care for 826 people, or 41.75 people per 10,000. Age Concern said that this was despite Harrow having a younger population. “Individuals face a postcode lottery in getting NHS continuing care. There can be no justification for such huge variations,” Gordon Lishman, director general of the charity, said.
From October 1, a national framework will exist for PCT staff to determine who receives continuing care, in which the NHS fully funds care outside hospital. The new criteria should increase the numbers of people receiving continuing care by about 7,000, at a cost of £220 million.