The Commission on Funding of Care and Support has presented its findings to the Government in its report Fairer Care Funding, published today.
The independent commission, set up by the Government last July, was asked to recommend a fair and sustainable funding system for adult social care in England.
Among the recommendations in the report are:
Individuals’ lifetime contributions towards their social care costs should be capped between £25,000 and £50,000 (the report considers that £35,000 is the most appropriate and fair figure). After the cap is reached, individuals would be eligible for full state support.
The means-tested threshold, above which people are liable for their full care costs, should be increased from £23,250 to £100,000.
People should contribute a standard amount to cover their general living costs, such as food and accommodation, in residential care. The report recommends that this be within the range of £7,000 to £10,000 a year.
All those who enter adulthood with a care and support need should be eligible for free state support immediately rather than being subjected to a means test.
Eligibility criteria for service entitlement should be set on a standardised national basis to improve consistency and fairness across England. In the short term, the report considers that this should be set nationally at ‘substantial’ under the current system. The Government should also urgently develop a more objective eligibility and assessment framework.
Universal disability benefits for people of all ages should continue as now. The report recommends that the Government consider how better to align benefits with the reformed social care funding system and that Attendance Allowance should be re-branded to clarify its purpose.
To encourage people to plan ahead for their later life it is recommended that the Government invest in an awareness campaign. This should inform people of the new system and the importance of planning ahead. This campaign could be linked into the wider work to encourage pension savings.
The Government should develop a major new information and advice strategy to help when care needs arise.
Carers should be supported by improved assessments which take place alongside the assessment of the person being cared for and which aim to ensure that the impact on the carer is manageable and sustainable. The report supports the proposals set out by the Law Commission to give carers new legal rights to services and improve carers’ assessments. The Government should ensure that carers have better information and advice about support and available services.
The Government should review the scope for improving the integration of adult social care with other services in the wider care and support system. In particular, it is important that there is improved integration of health and social care in order to deliver better outcomes for individuals and value for money from the state.
The Commission estimates that its proposals – based on a cap of £35,000 – would cost the State around £1.7billion.
Background
The Commission on Funding of Care and Support launched a Call for Evidence paper, on 1 December 2010, to seek suggestions on the future funding of care and support in England. The closing date for responses was 28th January 2011.
The Commission’s remit was to make recommendations on how to achieve an affordable and sustainable funding system or systems for care and support, for all adults in England, both in the home and other settings. Specifically, it have been asked to examine and provide deliverable recommendations on:
How best to meet the costs of care and support as a partnership between individuals and the state;
How people could choose to protect their assets, especially their homes, against the cost of care;
How, both now and in the future, public funding for the care and support system can be best used to meet care and support needs; and
How any option can be delivered, including an indication of the timescale for implementation, and its impact on local government (and the local government finance system), the NHS, and - if appropriate – financial regulation.
Any suggestions were to cover both working-age and older people but the Commission’s remit did not cover care and support for children.
More information
social care - DA response to the government's plans (15 July 2010)
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