- Conference
- 2016 National Retired Members Conference
- Date
- 6 June 2016
- Decision
- Carried as Amended
Day to day tasks that many of us take for granted – like getting dressed, using the toilet, washing, making a meal, or getting out to the shops – can be almost impossible for many of our members without help. Older people should be able to live well, not just survive and the right care and support can help them do this.
But spending on services such as home carers, meals on wheels and day care has dropped by more than £1billion in the past 5 years. This is having a massive knock on effect on the NHS, where each year £669million is being spent because older people are finding themselves trapped in hospital for days or even weeks, despite being well enough to leave, simply because the appropriate support cannot be made available to them within their community.
UNISON believes that the Government urgently needs to invest in the care system to help meet the growing demands of the millions of elderly people who are struggling. This is something that will not go away we need a definite commitment from this Government and future Governments to protect the support to the growing numbers of the elderly.
Therefore, this Conference calls upon the National Retired Members’ Committee along with the support of the TUC, STUC and other unions to urgently call on the Government to urgently invest in care for older people. There needs to be enough funding for vital services, so that millions of older people including UNISON retired members who need care get the care and help they deserve.