Earlier today someone reminded me about the Royal Commission on Long Term Care for the Elderly which reported in 1999. This was followed by a statement from the Commissioners in 2003.
The central plank of the the original report was a recommendation for free care for all, and the 2003 statement lamented the government's failure to act on this.
It is now nearly ten years since the Commission was set up and one of the most significant changes in British society since then has been the rapid development of the pensions crisis which will have serious economic implications for us all if it means that the present generation of carers become a burden to the state in their own old age.
What is needed now is a new Royal Commission which can address all aspects of the plight of the elderly and their carers, taking full account of all the developments of the last few years.
The Commission's terms of reference in relation to carers merely stated that it should have regard to their views, but much deeper scrutiny is now needed. The cost of carrying out that scrutiny will be much less than the cost of ignoring the problem and hoping that it will go away.
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