Archbishop of Westminster: Coalition must not to lose 'moral imperative' over elder care

The Coalition government must not lose sight of its “moral imperative” for caring for society’s most vulnerable and those in need of assistance, the Archbishop of Westminster has urged.

Archbishop Vincent Nichols, the head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, made his point during an important homily at Westminster Cathedral. 

The Most Reverend Vincent Nichols said that Christian generosity towards care of the elderly and the vulnerable “stands in contrast to some apparent prevailing attitudes in our society”.

Archbishop Nichols, in his annual Mass for the Sick address, urges the government to provide extra support for those who care for elderly relatives amid claims they are being unfairly targeted by public sector cuts.

He said that the general public are “deeply anxious” about forthcoming cuts in public expenditure that are “seeming to fall, too easily and too quickly, on services due to the vulnerable and elderly”.

In his homily delivered at Westminster Cathedral last Saturday, Archbishop Nichols instead urged that “special attention” should be “given to the sick and vulnerable”.

“Many … are deeply anxious that forthcoming cuts in public expenditure are seeming to fall, too easily and too quickly, on services due to the vulnerable and elderly,” he will tell the congregation of people with a variety of medical conditions, their carers, hospital chaplains and health care workers.

“It seems to me that, even in economic terms, the support offered to families who work hard to support their beloved parents in times of great need are the last things which should be cut.”

“Indeed it makes more sense to help families to care for their elderly wherever possible.”

His comments come just days after The Daily Telegraph disclosed that thousands more elderly people will be forced to pay to stay in care homes as a result of unannounced cuts in funding.

Ministers are effectively reducing the level of savings above which pensioners must meet their own fees, an official Whitehall document showed.

Archbishop Nichols also said that many are “very disturbed” by recent revelations of “shocking neglect of the elderly in some of our hospitals”.

He was referring to an official report from the Health Service Ombudsman that condemned the National Health Service for its inhumane treatment of elderly patients.

The report found the NHS was failing to meet “even the most basic standards of care” for the over-65s.

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