Sent on behalf of the Commission on Funding of Care and
Support
The public wants a clear message
from the Government on how much they will have to pay for care in
their old age, research carried out for the Commission on Funding
of Care and Support has found.
While the majority of people in our research believe both the
Government and the individual have a responsibility to contribute
to long-term care costs, they want clarity on exactly what they
will be expected to pay, along with simple ways to support them in
planning for this.
Many pointed to the economic context as leaving them wary about
‘shifting goalposts’ and their main concern was that whatever the
final settlement, it must be sustainable to allow them to plan
ahead.
Andrew Dilnot, Chair of the Commission, said:
“This research demonstrates exactly why reform of funding for
care and support is needed. Too many people are not able to plan
for the kind of care and support they would want because of
confusion over how the current system works. Certainly, the system
we have at the moment isn’t one to be proud of and it won’t be
able to cope with future demands
“But people weren’t downcast about the future, they were
enthusiastic about finding a workable solution to the funding
challenge. Most people are happy to contribute towards the cost of
their long-term care, but they want a simpler system which gives
them greater certainty over what the state will provide and what
their responsibilities will be.
“We’re hearing that people accept that there are no easy answers:
what’s most important is that we come up with a lasting settlement.”
Other issues raised by the study, which included workshops, group
discussions and face-to-face interviews with almost 200 people, included:
Significant variation in individuals’ awareness of what care and
support is and how it is currently funded;Strong support for
maintaining a safety net for the poorest and those with the
highest needs;No assumption for the family to take the burden of
care but flexibility and support for those who wanted to care for
relatives.The threshold at which people have to start paying for
their care, which is currently £23,250, was considered to be too
low; Support for some kind of limit on potential costs so people
could protect housing and other assetsPeople would like to be able
to plan and prepare in different ways. The most favoured
approaches in our research were via pensions and insurance.
The research will inform the work of the Commission, chaired by
Andrew Dilnot, which is looking at how to reform the system for
funding care and support and is due to report to the Government in
July 2011.
Social care helps people to be independent, active and healthy
throughout their lives. It is about helping people to do
day-to-day things like cooking, shopping and living in their own
home or funding for residential care where necessary.
The main users of care and support services are:
People who have had an accidentPeople who have a long term
illnessPeople with a disabilityOlder peoplePeople with learning
disabilities
Contrary to what many people expect, help with personal care is
not fully covered by the State. The social care system in England
provides care and support through a means-tested system delivered
at the local level by local authorities. Very broadly, under this
system, people with assets over £23,250 receive no state support
and need to fund their own care. The level and type of state
support for people with assets below this threshold depends on
their needs and income.
For a full report on the research findings, visit: www.dilnotcommission.dh.gsi.gov.uk/
Notes to Editors
The Commission, which was launched in July 2010, has been asked
to make recommendations on how to achieve an affordable and
sustainable funding system for care and support, for all adults in
England, both in the home and other settings.. The Commission is
chaired by Andrew Dilnot, who is joined by Lord Norman Warner and
Dame Jo Williams as Commissioners. The Commission is housed by the
Department of Health, but independent of Government. The research
was carried out between 14th to 30tth March by TNS-BMRB.
Participants in the study were given three options for how the
costs of care could be shared was between the Government and the
individual. No one option was clearly favoured but people tended
to prefer the options where the state took either the first or
last share of costs across an individual’s lifetime.For further
information contact the Department of Health newsdesk on 020 7210
5221 and ask to be put through to the Commission's press
office.
Contacts:
Department of Health
Phone: 020 7210 5221
NDS.DH@coi.gsi.gov.uk