Free Personal Care Poster Launch

12.00.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Tue 12th Apr 2005

Ed launching a poster campaign to highlight the Lib Dem pledge to deliver Free Personal Care for the elderly.

The Liberal Democrats today unveiled one of their huge poster vans at Ye Olde Swiss Cottage Pub on Finchley Road in the Hampstead and Highgate constituency.

The poster is of one of the Party's 10 pledges and relates to the pledge to provide free personal care for the elderly.

Ed Fordham, Parliamentary Spokesman for Hampstead and Highgate Liberal Democrats said "The scandal of older people having to sell their homes to pay for needed personal care is outrageous. In Scotland where the Liberal Democrats form part of the Government we have been successful in making personal care free. That is our campaign here in England - free care for the elderly and vulnerable.

"This is a major issue here in Hampstead and Highgate. I am today writing to the Royal Free Hospital and to Camden Social Services to raise two particular individual cases of concern on this very topic. One concerns the delivery of soiled and dirty mattresses for a woman who is bed bound and the second relates to the inadequate level of appropriate support for a gentleman who is blind and essentially house-bound.

"Both these cases raise direct concerns about the provision and standards of care here in Camden and both show a lack of compassion and understanding of what the effect is on both the individuals and their family and friends.

"I am delighted that Hampstead and Highgate has been selected as one of only five locations in Britain for this unveiling today - it is a reflection of our ambitions here."