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Long term care will “implode” unless personal care comes free

BMJ 2003; 327 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.327.7418.770-a (Published 02 October 2003) Cite this as: BMJ 2003;327:770
  1. Katherine Burke
  1. London

    The long term care situation across the United Kingdom will “implode,” unless the rest of the United Kingdom follows Scotland's lead and funds personal care for sick and disabled people, official advisers have warned.

    Nine of the original 12 royal commissioners on long term care for the elderly have called on the English, Welsh, and Northern Irish governments to scrap the “artificial” distinction between nursing and the intimate help some patients need with dressing, washing, eating, or managing their continence.

    Since July 2002, elderly people in Scotland have been getting the personal and nursing care they need free of charge (BMJ 2002;324: 1542), whereas in the rest of …

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