Dr Ros Altmann Commenting on reports commissioned by the Putting People First consortium and the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE), which suggest that people who pay for their own care are not guaranteed greater choice and control unless they are properly advised and supported to consider all their options, Dr Altmann said: "People paying for their own care and support, known as ‘self-funders’ are clearly receiving conflicting and confusing advice from their local authorities.
"Callers to our care funding advice line have been complaining about the lack of clarity and access to information for some time. In fact some of these people have been deemed as self funders, but advice has identified that local authority funding should be available. This research further highlights the need for information and advice both for self-funders and their families.
"Government needs to ensure that there is consistent and reliable information for those needing care, or relatives who are trying to organise it for them.
"There is no single point of contact for self-funders and each time they call the local authority they speak to a different person. We often help people obtain much better outcomes by explaining clearly what they are able to get from the Government. The system is simply far too confusing and needs urgent review."