Dementia Services

Part of Opposition Day — [3rd Allotted Day] – in the House of Commons at 1:23 pm on 27 January 2010.

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Photo of Andy Burnham Andy Burnham The Secretary of State for Health 1:23, 27 January 2010

I agree with the hon. Gentleman, who makes a very important point. It would not be right for people to live in their homes without the necessary support, or when they were too vulnerable to do so, but he seems to be making the argument that I made to Mr. O'Brien a moment ago. I said that we should introduce public support to help people live independently, because that is what they want, whereas the hon. Gentleman said that the right policy response was to cover costs for people going into residential care. I fear that that policy, which he and his colleagues have advanced, would create an incentive to push older people too early into care establishments and not give them the support to cope at home. Once care is free in a home but not in the community, it must create an incentive for people to enter care prematurely.