Request further information Back to the newsletter The campaign to introduce care vouchers has moved up a gear with the launch of new research which clearly demonstrates the economic benefits of the proposal. A report from the London School of Economics predicts that for only £37m investment from government, £83m could be generated for care services. This could pay for an extra 5.5 million hours of home care. The research shows the vouchers would be an effective and affordable way to bring extra funding to older and disabled people - and would help businesses to retain the skills of their valued and experienced employees, particularly older and female workers. Accor Services is one of the prime movers in the national campaign to introduce tax and national insurance exempt care vouchers. The idea is that the care vouchers would work in a very similar way to the well-established child care voucher scheme. Employees would sacrifice part of their salary in exchange for vouchers, which could be used to buy care or support services for their elderly or dependent relatives. It is envisaged that in most cases the vouchers would typically be used to buy basic services such as help with housework, gardening, cooking and shopping. Other services likely to be covered by the proposed scheme are chiropody, befriending services and respite care. The campaign, which is also supported by leading employers and a range of charities, seeks to highlight the urgent need for more attention to be paid to the demographic time bomb facing the UK. Our rapidly ageing society is creating massive demand for care services, reducing the number of people of working age in the population and draining the workforce of crucial skills. New ways need urgently to be found to help working carers carry on juggling their caring responsibilities with employment. Caring, for example, is a major cause of early retirement - and in many cases forces full-time employees to go part-time. It is estimated that three in five people will care for someone during their working lives. Within 30 years, more than 25 per cent of the population will be over 65 and the number of carers will rise to 9 million. "A voucher system would help pay for the little things that can make a real difference to people's quality of life - and would make it much easier for more carers to continue working," says Accor Services' Lynne Keeble. An e-petition calling for the introduction of care vouchers was presented to the government in the summer, and representatives from the campaign also met during August with senior special advisers to the Prime Minister's office. Government representatives appear to be sympathetic to the campaign, and have asked for more detail on some aspects of how it might work. In the meantime, campaign members plan to continue lobbying and gathering support. "Our ageing population and ageing workforce mean that many more carers are working while looking after an older person. Employers and government could support these carers and attract others back into work by offering care vouchers with tax breaks," said Stephen Burke, Chief Executive of charity Counsel and Care. Sue Jex, Group Head of Diversity at HSBC Bank adds: "The introduction of a care voucher scheme would give employees flexibility and choice around how they arrange both personal care and support for their relatives. Publicised well, the scheme would be an attractive proposition, with some real benefits to employers, including increased productivity, reduced absenteeism and improved staff retention and morale. This is about fostering the well-being of both employees and their families, ensuring that employees are given support to enable them to balance caring responsibilities with full or part-time work." The full LSE report can be found at www.accorservices.co.uk where we will publish ongoing updates regarding the campaign. If your organisation would like to add its voice to the growing campaign for care vouchers - or be kept in touch with developments, please email us at editor@accorservices.co.uk. Back to the newsletter Registered office: Accor Services, 50 Vauxhall Bridge Road, London, SW1V 2RS The following trade under Accor Services & are registered in England Childcare Vouchers: 2420196 Luncheon Vouchers: 540144 Cleanway: 1336372 VAT number: 649503520 ©2007 Accor Services. The entire content of this newsletter publication is protected by copyright. Full details are available from Accor Services. All rights reserved. No part of this newsletter publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means - electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise - without the prior permission, in writing, of the copyright owner. Although every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this publication, the publisher cannot accept any liability for inaccuracies.