Call to end 'postcode lottery' in care funding

'FUNDAMENTALLY UNFAIR' CLAIM AS NEIGHBOURING COUNTIES HAVE FEE GAP OF £7,000 PER PERSON

- By STEVE BAGNALL Daily Post Reporter [e-mail]

FAMILIES claim their loved ones are being treated like second class citizens because of a cross-border funding gap. They spoke out after learning Denbighshire County Council pays £7,000 a year less per person towards providing care in a care home than their counterparts in Conwy.

Denbighshire Council chiefs have defended the fees, saying care providers were consulted and each local authority receives different allocations, meaning a delicate balance had to be struck to maintain “a sustainable future for the care sector”.

One couple caught up in the “postcode lottery” of funding are Leslie and Megan Smallwood. Leslie, 90, a retired quantity surveyor, and Megan, 86, a former maths teacher, live at The Old Deanery Care Home in St Asaph.