Submitted by: The Fawcett Society  

The National Council of Women in Conference assembled, is seriously concerned not only at the underfunding of community care, but also at the recent Audit Commission Report, which states that the care in the community policy is wasteful, disorganised and causing unnecessary suffering to the elderly, sick and disabled people and under-estimates the value of carers in our society. The Council urges immediate Government action on the following: (a) that sufficient resources, including adequately trained and remunerated para-medical staff to be made available to local and Health Authorities to make care in the community a reality; (b) that the proposed review body should include consumers of services; (c) that the need to provide periods of relief for the carers, mostly women, be accepted and the necessary resources provided.