Funding cuts hit front line services for the elderly - surprise?

The Telegraph reported today that Paul Burstow the care services minister has admitted that cuts in council spending are directly impacting on the elderly, as councils are reducing their nursing and care home budgets by hundreds of millions of pounds. He is demanding to know why the £2 billion allocated to support adult social care has not reached the front line.

Well, in light of the fact that councils were already in deep crisis over elderly care and the fact that the elderly are unable to make their views about cuts known by camping out in front of St Pauls, perhaps we should be demanding why this £2 billion wasn't ringfenced in the first place, to ensure that it could not be used to plug gaps in other areas of council spending.

Meanwhile, the Coalition's answer to this dire state of emergency is to promise a white paper setting out really firm plans...next Spring...again...

Mark Sadler