YP Letters: Tories and Theresa May shoot themselves in the foot over social care shambles

SO now we know, the Conservatives will withdraw the winter fuel allowance from wealthy pensioners. But who are the wealthy? Well, since its introduction in 2003 by Gordon Brown, pension credit divided pensioners into just two groups – the poor, who qualified for it, and the rich who did not.

At present the pension credit limit is set at £159 per week (£8,268 pa) for a single person, and £243 per week (£12,636 pa) for a couple. Incomes above these figures do not qualify. It worries me that this crude dividing line will be used by an incoming Conservative government to define rich and poor pensioners.

If they do it will place all those pensioners whose income is just above the pension credit limit in the same group as those billionaire pensioners on the Sunday Times ‘rich’ list. Could this turn out to be a case of a political party ‘shooting itself in the foot’?

From: Tom Howley, Wetherby.

AT public meetings, on the doorstep, by email, letter or telephone call, ask your Tory candidates if, given a choice, would they prefer to suffer from cancer or from dementia.

Both are dreadful diseases which bring terrible pressures on sufferers and family, but are treated differently by governments. Cancer patients receive state-of-the-art treatment with loving and dedicated support from highly skilled and dedicated professional staff. Treatment is free.

Dementia sufferers are left struggling in care homes, attended by well-intentioned staff, overworked and often poorly trained.

The costs to the ‘customer’ can be up to £1,000 a week. The Conservative manifesto threatens to recover dementia care from the sale of homes. Mrs May’s election victory on June 8 is confidently predicted by the polls, but her cruel aims for the treatment of dementia sufferers and their families can be stopped.

Tory candidates must be deluged with protests against the manifesto proposals.

From: BJ Cussons, Curly Hill, Ilkley.

I SUSPECT I am not alone at feeling impatience and anger at how the NHS is being used as a political pawn.

Having enjoyed its services for much of my life, I have no wish to see it privatised, but know that there is a need to make it more effective and less costly at management level.

From: Mike Padgham, Managing Director, Saint Cecilia’s Care Services, Scarborough.

FROM the publication on Thursday of the manifesto from the party most likely to form the next government, it appears that once again an opportunity has been lost to properly address the social care crisis blighting this country.

Despite being told from all sectors that social care needs root-and-branch reform to end the plight of more than 1.2m going without the care they need, social care is still viewed as a Cinderella service.