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TX: 31.03.08 - Social Care Review

PRESENTER: WINIFRED ROBINSON

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ROBINSON
As we've reported on You and Yours the government has ordered a big review on the rules of who qualifies for social care. The help that's offered with the everyday tasks that can become difficult in old age - things like getting in and out of bed, getting washed and shopping. Again, as we've reported on this programme before, social services departments have been tightening up on who's eligible to get this kind of help. Most local authorities now help only those whose needs are judged to be substantial or critical and even then the people applying are means tested. In January the Care Minister, Ivan Lewis, ordered a review of this whole system and he's asked the Commission for Social Care Inspection - the CSCI - to carry it out. It's about to start a public consultation and it wants to hear from you.

David Walden, their director of strategy, is here. So who is it then that you want to hear from?

WALDEN
We want to hear from a very wide range of people, we want this to be a very inclusive process but particularly we're interested in the experiences of people themselves who've been through this process of assessment and of deciding whether they're eligible for council support. So old people, disabled people, their carers, their family and friends. But we'd also like to hear from people working on the front line - paid carers, social workers and others in local authorities and elsewhere.

ROBINSON
Now how are you going to collect this information because you can't just ask everyone to get in touch can you, you'd be here forever?

WALDEN
Well we're running an online survey that we launch tomorrow, the 1st April, and if people contact our website - through our website - they can fill in that survey and tell us about their experiences. Organisations and others can also send in written submissions. So we're trying to, as I say, capture a wide range of views from a wide range of people.

ROBINSON
But individual listeners who might want to have their say they must go online and fill in the survey, is that right?

WALDEN
They can do that and we're hoping that many people will do that and I can give you the website address.

ROBINSON
We're going to put it on our website later on today.

WALDEN
Okay that's great, it's www.csci.org.uk. But if people aren't on the internet and don't like that approach they can ring our customer services helpline and be given help with alternative ways of contributing. That phone number is 0845 015 0120.

ROBINSON
As I say all that will be on our own website a little later on today. What people will say to us, I'm sure, is, is there any real point in taking part in all this?

WALDEN
Well we very much hope so. As you said the Care Services Minister has asked the Commission to carry out this review, we're looking at how the current system could be improved for the future but it's very much a system that bears upon the lives of individual people and therefore hearing those experiences at first hand is going to be a very powerful bit of the evidence that we're collecting for this review.

ROBINSON
Now how long do people have to contact you then?

WALDEN
As I say it starts tomorrow, the 1st April, it's going to run until Friday 9th May.

ROBINSON
So that's a short time.

WALDEN
It's a fairly short time because we've been asked to report to the government by the middle of September and obviously there's a lot to think about over those relatively few months.

ROBINSON
David Walden, thank you. Well any information about how you can take part in the consultation, as I said, will be on our website after three o'clock today or you can ring our helpline for the details, that is 0800 044 044 and just ask for more information.

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