Spending Review Comment – The Chancellor Should Listen To The Facts

Nick Sanderson, CEO, Audley Retirement Villages, comments on expectations ahead of the Spending Review that George Osborne will skew government spending towards health and elderly care:

“The Chancellor’s ten-year proposed redesign of state spending does not go far enough in recognising our ageing population and the demands it will only continue to place on what is an already creaking health care system. It’s likely a big part of this will be attempts to rectify the failings of the care home system, but 99% of people don’t want to go into a care home, and most of those should not have to. George Osborne would be foolish to direct this level of spending in the direction of a model that is broken.

“The Chancellor should listen to the facts – 86% of the older generation are still living in a family sized home which is often unsuitable for their changing needs. It’s clear that what is actually needed are more housing options that offer high quality, flexible care which can be implemented as and when required. This would ensure that people were prepared for changes to their health, which in turn would go a long way to minimise costly intervention and hospital bed blocking. Most importantly, it would allow the majority of people to remain independent and in their own homes. This would not only improve the living standards of older generations but also revolutionise the future of UK care and allow the government to allocate spending elsewhere.”