As the Government looks again at how to care for the elderly, I cannot help but wonder why something so essential to the essence of humanity can’t be managed in one of the richest societies the world has ever known.

I have been giving evidence to the Commission on Dignity in Care and there have been many other recent reports trying to answer this question.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission concluded the answer lies in human rights training, whereas the Mid-Staffs enquiry simply surmised that the whole NHS has a rotten approach. I wonder at a world where we need to train people in caring for the vulnerable; surely this should be learned at the side of our parent or parents, or carers or extended family?

The latest attitudinal survey contains all sorts of eye openers but I’d include the gross failure to prioritise and resource basic standards of care for the elderly both nationally and organisationally. I am saddened by what I see around me, the institutional ageism, derogatory terms for individuals with poor health such as 'bed blockers' and 'frequent flyers' making vulnerable individuals feel like a nuisance.

In my experience, as a result of poor staffing levels, care home residents are often not brought to the GP surgery where the environment for clinical examination and investigation is more suitable than in a care home. Moreover, when we GPs are called to care homes, the staff on shift may not even be aware of the symptoms for which the GP was called.

A BMA survey of members’ views on care of the elderly only a minority of respondents believed that the NHS spends enough money on the care of the elderly; an overwhelming majority were either concerned or very concerned about healthcare services for old or elderly patients; mainly about care in our communities and eight out of ten doctors wanted appropriate staffing levels to be prioritised for improvement in our residential care homes.

Sir Andrew Dilnot proposals for funding long-term care are being considered along with other strategies for social care and legal reforms. Dilnot argues that capping financial products might create insurance products to insure against £35,000 but what would it cost, a one-off payment of £4,500 to £8,000 to inflation proof the sum. We have yet to hear whether the coalition Government is brave enough to tell us we all need to save more on top of pension reforms and working longer.

I believe that dignity is part heart and part money. Carers, nurses and doctors want to care. I urge you to consider the likelihood of yourself or family needing care and to engage in this debate. For me, Andrew Dilnot’s commission simply did not go far enough to address how we should fund care; there is nothing to avoid multimillionaires getting their care for free.

Our tax system is itself inequitable and care of the elderly is not the same as spending on defence. There is a good case for putting the burden of rising costs of long-term care on the taxation system because one in four of us will need care. We could start next year by means testing winter fuel payments. In a dignified society the cost of care should be shared across society as  a whole to provide the dignity we seek.

In order to treat our most vulnerable, as a society, we must prioritise the value we give to our carers, of all types. The recent Mid-Staffs enquiry outcome demands a management that are receptive to criticism as a means to improve the care we all want to give.