Public Funding for Give & Take Care Cic

The UK faces a number of challenges, one of which is the increasing number of elderly people who require Care, ranging from company, domestic assistance, and personal services to simple medical procedures, but who want to live at home. It is also certain that the government will not have the economic recourses to meet even a fraction of the demand. Give&TakeCare CIC -GATC- has formed specifically to implement the only national policy which is capable of making a substantial contribution to the overall NEEDS, whilst reducing the public expenditure of the NHS and Local Social Services. GAT proposes that charities supporting elderly people should make an optional offer to their members to become PARTNERS of the GAT Pension scheme, which is based on the number of hours of service they give to GATC. The basic geographical unit will be a “locality” of 10,000 houses, within walking distance of one another and with a local administration. In principle every HOUR spent on the Care and Support objectives of the organisation earns a “Care Credit” which is deposited in a special Bank Account, using an alternative currency called GATs. This currency has no monetary value; though it can be gifted to family, friends or returned to GATC for an emergency fund and has the advantaged of never being subject to inflation. The primary purpose is to build up a balance of GATs over a period, which when the need arises, are used to service a Care Pension for the Partner. The service will in general be supplied by the next generation, who will have an interest in making provision for their own future needs, recognising, that public provision is likely to be reduced, whilst the demand increases. The service supplied or received by Partners will be based on what they can GIVE and conversely what they NEED. Almost anybody can fulfil some need of another, be it the lady who is bedbound needing several HOURS daily of Care but who is marvellous on the telephone and can earn GATs by chatting to another Partner, who is lonely. GAT CIC also addresses family carers, who carry the majority of the Care burden at present, sacrificing job, pension rights and health to look after a close relation. They will be encouraged to join an appropriate local charity and thereby becoming a Partner of the scheme. The scheme, which has a national H.Q. is totally independent of the state, business, or charities. The cash money required to manage GATC is raised by charging an administrative fee of the order of £1 for every GAT hour that is used. Mutuality and Independence from government, charity or business support, are the basic principles that make GATC CarePension sustainable and not subject to any external policy change.