Formal and Informal Support Prior to Admission: Are Self-Funders Being Admitted to Care Homes Unnecessarily?

TL;DRAbstract

There has long been a need for information about the circumstances of self-funded residents admitted to care homes for older people (Laing and Buisson, 1995). This vulnerable group has no champion beyond their relatives and the overarching regulatory framework, and is of fundamental importance when considering the impact of policies designed to bring greater equity into the funding of long-term care. The Department of Social Security funded a study conducted during 1999/2000 of the financial and informal resources and circumstances of self-funded admissions to care homes. This paper reports on the evidence from that study about unmet needs and the level of informal support and formal resources that people were drawing on immediately prior to admission. <h3>The Study</h3> A sample of homes in England, Scotland and Wales was selected in order to identify recent and future self-funded admissions. 481 homes, 96 per cent of those approached, agreed to participate. They were asked to identif

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