The Personal Care at Home Bill, which is currently going through Parliament, proposes to help an estimated 400,000 older people and people with disabilities across England. The free personal care will be available to those who have severe care needs to help them live independently for as long as possible helping them with washing, eating and getting dressed.
Whilst many charities are supporting the Bill the Local authorities are calling for an urgent meeting with health ministers to discuss funding for the Personal Care at Home Bill. The Association of Directors of Adult Social Services state that the Government has “significantly under-estimated” the cost of this extra provision and claim the cost of this Bill will be in the region of £1 billion, which is significantly more than the £700 million estimated by the Government.