Tuesday 19 February 2008

Resolution Foundation seminar: launch of Lost: low earners and the elderly care market

The Resolution Foundation held a seminar on Tuesday 19th February 2008 to launch their new report Lost: low earners and the elderly care market. The purpose of the seminar was to facilitate discussion on the Foundation’s research findings and to discuss its future work programme with key stakeholders. The seminar was chaired by Sue Regan, Chief Executive of the Resolution Foundation.

Claudia Wood, Research & Policy Manager at the Resolution Foundation, introduced the report and explained its methodology, findings and conclusion. She explained that low earners are in a difficult position in the elderly care system and it is therefore unsurprising that elderly care is one of their key concerns. Stephen Burke, Chief Executive of Counsel and Care, responded to the Foundation’s work. He welcomed the report and stressed that there was indeed room for reform and efficiency gains to be made. In light of recent advice indicating potential efficiency gains from restructuring ownership of the care home market he talked briefly on three areas: a vision for the future, a universal system, and how it is funded.

The following discussion addressed a number of related areas: the two debates on this issue – the dry national debate and the local level ‘impact’ debate, the use of equity release and its tarnished image, the current complexities in the system and the profile of and difficulties faced by carers.