rigorous government charge-capping and other restrictions. The 'assessment' by social workers of the 'needs' of any client will therefore take place against a background of rigid cash limits.
Many health authorities have seen this coming, and have been down their elderly care beds, fearing that cash- strapped social services 'assess' more and more clients as needing hospital care.
Mapped out in 1988 by Thatcher's right Sains ud i supermarket boss Sir Roy hand advisor on health Griffiths, the community care reforms represent the most dramatic and audacious attempt at privatisation yet proposed by the Tories. It is transparently designed to force the burden of expenditure and of care on to individual elderly people and their families - almost inevitably women relatives (daughters, wives, etc).
In one master-stroke the Tories thought they could remove a costly area of care from the NHS, forcing the users to pay much of the cost themselves or to do without any proper care at all, while foisting the blame onto local councils for the inevitable failure.
Incredibly enough, the Labour leadership, beginning with the more inept council leaders and careerist social service chiefs, but soon including Robin Cook and the front bench MPs publicly endorsed this policy, and even urged the Tories to implement it more quickly!
When even bully bov Kenneth Clarke (then Health Secretary) backed off, postponing the implementation of quick to close the reforms by two years to ensure it would come after the might Labour's leaders opposed the delay.
Bi-partisan
Instead of using the threat to elderly care as a mighty electoral club with which to beat the Tories and underline their claims that the NHS is being privatised, Labour allowed theissue to ecome yet another in a long list ot bi-partisan' policies.
It was not until the day before Bottomley' sannouncement of the cash allocation that Labour's new community Hinchcliffe belatedly announced a complete reversal of policy - to oppose the reforms.
Why it has taken Labour four years to spot the obvious is a mystery. But the policy switch must now be followed through with full-blooded campaigns in every town and city against the closure of elderly care NHS beds, through which health chiefs are dumping not only the frail elderly, but also elderly mentally infirm into private, profit-seeking homes which lack the qualified nursing staff and therapeutic services that are a vital part of hospital care.
Pensioners groups, relatives and organisations for the elderly should be mobilised to combat this frontal threat toourNHS, alongside the other battles against cuts and closures.
election, care spokesperson Dave WADONG KINDLY TRUST ADMINISTRATOR
Features Man 9 MENSANE A THE MINES Kate, get me Grolsch in.f How's your Lovely