Longer residency may be needed to qualify for care

The length of time someone needs to live in Guernsey to qualify for long-term care benefits could be increased.

The States of Guernsey's current regulations entitle people who have lived on the island for five years to financial support for long-term and respite care.

Proposals, to be debated by the States, would mean the qualifying period would increase from five to ten years.

However, deputies Al Brouard and Andy Cameron have proposed increasing the timeframe to 20 years, with the change phased in over a longer period.

Brouard and Cameron said they felt individuals who had lived in the island for 20 years would have contributed long enough to show a "sufficient connection".

The proposals for the funding changes state the number of years lived on the island is aggregated since 2003, meaning an adult could live on the island for a couple of years at a time to qualify.

There would also be some special provisions for people who need long-term care but are under the age of 28 - or 38 if it becomes 20 years - so they could also count years spent in Guernsey as a child.

The proposals do not mean people cannot access care if they do not meet the criteria, but it does mean they would not get the States' financial support.

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