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A year on from Dilnot and still no change
Wednesday 04 July 2012
One year on from the Dilnot Commission’s report on funding, 9 out of 10 members of the public reject the current social care system
It is a year ago today (Wednesday 4 July) that the Dilnot Commission published its report into the funding of long term social care. But a poll reveals that 9 out of 10 people are still unhappy with the current system.
The ICM poll commissioned by the Care and Support Alliance found that 89% of English adults believe that older and disabled people shouldn’t have to bear all the costs for support with everyday tasks – such as eating, washing and dressing – even if they have a small amount of savings. This represents a rejection of the current system, in which if you have more than £23,500 in savings and need support with basic tasks you have to pay the full costs of that care.
At present, every adult in England has a 1-in-2 chance of needing care costing £20,000 or more and a 1-in-10 chance of needing care costing £100,000 or more. Once you move into a residential home, the value of your house is included in calculating your savings. Under the Dilnot proposals, a suggested £35,000 limit would be placed on the amount of money that an individual would have to pay towards their care.
“The clear message from this polling is that the current system of unlimited costs for care is unacceptable to the public,” says Simon Gillespie, chair of the Care and Support Alliance. “This gives extra weight to our call to the government for urgent reform of the social care system, which leaves too many of our most vulnerable members of society without the support they need or terrified of spiralling costs.”
The Care and Support Alliance is a coalition of more than 65 organisations representing older and disabled people, including Mencap. It is calling for the government to publish its promised white paper and funding progress report into long term care now – before the summer recess. The alliance warns any further delays are likely to hinder the progress of the draft Care and Support Bill and continue to make life difficult for the hundreds of thousands of older and disabled people who desperately need reform to happen.
The Care and Support Alliance is urging all those who care about the future of social care to write to their MP expressing their concerns and fears about the current system.
Comments
Further evidence that repeats many reports before ithat we urgently need proper reform of the care system . when will the mounting evidence be acted upon. or l'm being stupid?