Earlier this week I published the results of a survey of local council home care charges. This revealed that fewer older people are getting their care for free, and more older and disabled people have to pay more for vital services that help them get up, washed, dressed and fed.

Over the past three years, the average charge for an hour of home care has increased by 10%, from £12.29 to £13.61. There are wide disparities in the price people pay for care depending on where they live: whilst home care is free in Tower Hamlets, it costs £21.50 per hour in Brighton and Hove. The survey also found that 11% fewer older people had their home care fully paid for by their local authority last year than in 2009/10.

Whilst Leicester City Council’s charges for home care have increased from £11.25 to £12.42 per hour over the last year, they are still much lower than the national average. The number of older people getting their care fully paid for by the City Council has remained the same in 2011/2012 as in 2009/10, whereas elsewhere in the country there has been a significant decrease.

The results of my survey confirm that there is a growing care crisis in the country and I am calling on David Cameron to act urgently to tackle it.

If you are interested in learning more about this issue you can read the articles about the results of my survey published by the Guardian and BBC News under these links.