National Care Association in welcoming the report which it believes serves to reinforce that people being cared for in their own homes supported by local authorities are being poorly served.

National Care Association Chairman Nadra Ahmed said today: “We know that people make a choice to remain in their own homes and are actively encouraged to so by the promise of care and support, however the reality is that it is limited by the public purse.

Both central and local government are becoming over reliant on informal care being the answer to the funding issues which exposes vulnerable people to an inconsistent support mechanism which often relies heavily on the goodwill of ageing friends and relatives. Vulnerable individuals need and deserve to be supported professionally in a way that reflects the personalisation agenda; a 15 minute visit twice a day can by no stretch of the imagination reflect the ethos of personalisation.

We believe that care at home is fundamental to the future of social care where people continue to make choices to remain at home. It is one of the many options available to people at a critical time in their lives and as such it must be a real option based on the needs of individual not on the cheapest option available.

At National Care Association we are seeing what is happening in the commissioning of care at home being repeated in the Care Home sector. As the title of this report says “Care is not a Commodity”. We call on the Government to ensure that quality personalised care is in the future delivered to all people who are assessed as needing it in whatever setting they choose. The oldest, the frailest and the most vulnerable should be protected especially at this time of financial restraint.”