Free Personal Care a priority for Restored Assembly - Elliott
Ulster Unionist Fermanagh & South Tyrone, Tom Elliott, has said that a functioning assembly must make “dramatic changes” in order to alleviate the plight of our elderly.
Mr Elliott made his comments in the Assembly yesterday during debate on a successful UUP motion calling for the introduction of free personal care for the elderly here.
Addressing the Chamber, Mr Elliott said: “As the ‘baby-boom’ generation moves from the world of work to retirement it is only but right that they receive personal care from the state if they require it, and not be forced into selling their homes to fund it. This generation has contributed to building a prosperous nation that we all benefit from.”
Noting Age Concern statistics suggesting that the proportion of over-65s among the population here will almost double from 13% to 24% between 1996 and 2036, he said: “We in this assembly are lucky in that we have the opportunity to learn from the experiences of the provision of free personal care in Scotland.
“In June of this year the Scottish Health Committee reported on the care legislation, the committee concluded that the introduction of free personal care was “broadly successful”, pinpointing increased dignity and security for many elderly citizens, allowing home care to be more readily available and taking pressure off NHS resources.
“The provision of good personal care is likely to reduce costs in the long term by reducing the likelihood of prolonged and often avoidable hospital stays that arise from a lack of care.”
Concluding he said: “As we now go back to the drawing board to redesign public service in Northern Ireland I feel that now is the time to provide the type of personal care that our elderly deserve.
“It will of course require funding, however as is the case for prescribing drugs for Breast Cancer or Alzheimer’s disease or Multiple Sclerosis, committing the funds and tackling the problem early on is beneficial to the patient, their family and the health service.”