Petition calling free personal care delivered to PM

Independent Age campaigners Patricia Phipps (middle) and Margaret Dangoor (right) handing over petition to No 10. © Jason Bye

A petition calling on the government to introduce free personal care for older people has been delivered to No 10.

Staff and campaigners from Independent Age, the older people’s charity, delivered the petition, signed by more than 13,000 people in just over two weeks, to 10 Downing St on Tuesday afternoon.

Independent Age is calling on the government to introduce free personal care for older people to help reduce the cost of care to individuals and families; support more people to be cared for in their own home; reduce unmet care needs; ease pressures on the NHS; and provide support to family carers.

Morgan Vine, Independent Age campaigns manager, said: ‘For the last year we have been calling on the government to introduce free personal care. We speak to people on a daily basis who are paying vast sums for the care they need.

‘Free personal care is an affordable option for the country and would reduce costs for both those who have professional care at home and people in residential care. Our prime minister has announced his intention to fix the social care system, and it’s crucial that free personal care is part of that solution.’