PCTs cut continuing care packages

NHS continuing care is for severely sick and disabled people who qualify for free help with washing, dressing and eating - services otherwise provided on a means-tested basis by councils.

Guidance was introduced in October to ensure eligibility for the free care was fair and consistent nationally. The DH said at the time that it was expected to lead to a 32 per cent increase in people getting continuing care.

The latest figures report the number of adults receiving continuing care per 50,000 population between the first and third quarter of 2007-08. Nationally, there was a 17 per cent increase in people getting the NHS care package.

But of those PCTs which cut services, Sandwell, Brent, Hull and Peterborough all reported that their rates decreased by 54-81 per cent.

PCTs with the highest cuts in 2007-08 said those figures were not comparable. A spokesman for Sandwell PCT said its 81 per cent cut could be explained by a change in the way equipment costs were recorded.

Other PCTs admitted they had seen a drop. Mary Cleary, lead commissioner for continuing care at Harrow PCT, acknowledged that the first nine months of 2007-08 had seen a 5 per cent drop, from 77 per 50,000 to 73.

"We seem to have fewer cases come to our panel [for consideration] and we don't know why this is, but we have been quite surprised ourselves," she said.

Jeff Jerome, joint chair of the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services' disability committee, said: "We are concerned that some places are looking to decrease their numbers, which is remarkable because an extra£220m was earmarked for this and the DH said 5,500 new people would be given continuing care."

Mr Jerome said he suspected that part of the decrease was because some PCTs had made "massive cuts" to the length of continuing care they provided to people with a rapidly deteriorating terminal illness.