News
A study carried out by a leading think-tank says high numbers of people in England are set to miss out on social care as restrictions mean more councils start rationing services.
According to the King’s Fund think-tank, the number of people with access to adequate social care is set to decline as local authority resources become stretched.
Under the current system, home help and residential social care for the elderly and disabled is means tested, with only those with assets of less than £23,000 getting government support for their care. This means that many people requiring long-term care see their assets swallowed up by the cost of nursing and support.
In its report, King’s Fund is recommending changes to the system, whereby the state and individual receiving care share the cost.
Political parties have recently come to blows over how to proceed with the overhaul of the social care system, with how much patients should contribute and when being fiercely debated; with the Conservatives calling Labour’s plans for contributions to come from the patient’s estate as a “death tax”.
Much of the extra strain being placed on local authority social care budgets is being blamed on ageing populations, with increasingly greater numbers of people requiring long-term care into their old age.
“The current social care system often falls short of meeting the needs of the people who rely on it and will not be able to cope with increasing demand for services as the population ages,” said Anna Dixon, acting chief executive of King’s Fund.
"The people who stand to benefit most from our proposals are those on moderate and middle incomes who are heavily penalised by the current system."
In response to the report the government said it would be announcing its own detailed plans for social care in the near future.
