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Personal Care At Home Act 2010

The purpose of the Act is to:

• Help around 400,000 people with care needs.
• Offer for the first time free personal care at home for those with the highest needs, regardless of means.
• Be the first step towards setting up a new National Care Service - a simple, fair and affordable care system for everyone.

The main benefits of the Act would be:

• Guarantee free personal care for the 280,000 people - including those with serious dementia or Parkinson's disease - with the highest needs.
• Protect the savings of the 166,000 people who currently get free care from future charges.
• Help around 130,000 people who need home care for the first time to regain their independence.
• Where home adaptations or technology can increase a person's independence and reduce care needs, these would be offered.
• It would allow £130 million to be invested in re-ablement and prevention to help people to maintain their dignity and rebuild their confidence so that they can live at home for longer.
• This would put prevention at the heart of the system, improving quality, empowering people, and saving the NHS and social care money.

This Act applies to England and Wales but free personal care will apply in England only.

More information

• view the act - OPSI website

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