Tax suggested to help pay for home care

A health care worker is asking DHSS Minister Eddie Teare to put his money where his mouth is, in relation to the provision of home help for the elderly and disabled in the Isle of Man.

James Yates is suggesting a new tax, at a rate of a pound a week per taxed person, to enable more people to stay in their own homes for longer.

He is reminding Mr Teare that when he announced plans to stop new admissions to three residential homes for the elderly, last summer, part of the idea was the expansion of the department's home care service.

The DHSS reversed the plan to stop admissions, following "unforeseen demands" on its budget, but Mr Yates says private home help services, such as the one he runs, could make a significant contribution if the government would help pay clients' bills: