OFT Evaluation Commends FirstStop Advice for Older People

The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has published an independent evaluation of the impact of its 2005 market study into care homes for older people finding that there have been significant improvements in the provision of information and advice for older people.

In response to the OFT's 2005 recommendation for a 'one stop shop' for advice and information FirstStop Advice was launched in 2008 to provide older people, their families and carers comprehensive advice and information on all the issues they may need to address around housing, care, money and rights.

The OFT reports cites that significant consumer benefits can be attributed to the development of the FirstStop Advice line both in the form of time savings, the value of which cannot be underestimated, and improved consumer confidence in making decisions at a time that can be particularly challenging and stressful for the older person and/or their representatives.

Drawing upon an independent evaluation of the FirstStop Advice service it quotes that 73% of those that used the service felt more confident about the decisions they had subsequently made.

'If I had not known about First Stop, I would have spent a lot of time ringing round different places. I wanted to find out about nursing care or care homes for my aunt.'

'I spent too much time trawling web sites trying to find things. With the First Stop telephone line you get instant advice, which was great as both parents have different needs.'

The OFT evaluation calls for an improvement of the awareness of and access to information whilst FirstStop warns that without timely advice and information older people can find themselves missing out on all sorts of help making it very easy to make the wrong choices, particularly at this time of council cuts and reduced services.

The FirstStop free guide 'Choosing and Paying for a Care Home' can be invaluable. It includes how to maximise State assistance that is often missed, choosing a care home that meets assessed needs and is affordable over the long-term and understanding the financial products specially designed to meet care costs and where possible preserve capital.