Responding to Labour’s announcement this morning of free
personal care for people over the age of 65, Nuffield Trust
Deputy Director of Policy Natasha Curry said:
We welcome a plan to address England’s crumbling social care
system, and funding a new system out of general taxation makes
sense. It has the potential to provide a fair and flexible source
of much-needed revenue, both now and in future.
However, it is not yet clear how that extra taxation will be
raised, and we are concerned that the proposals only apply to
those over 65 years old. That represents a missed opportunity, as
it is vital that any future system meets the needs of everyone in
society, regardless of age.
Free personal care will support individuals over 65 with many of
the costs associated with social care. But we need to hear more
detail about what will be included in this offer to work out how
much it will really protect them from high costs. In addition, it
isn’t yet clear at which level the proposed lifetime ‘cap’ –
which will limit how much all individuals pay for care – will be
set, and what it applies to. If it’s set at too high a level
then people can still face very high costs.
Reforming the social care system is also not just about
funding. With 110,000 job vacancies in social care, any proposal
needs to address that growing staffing crisis – while bringing
stability to those organisations providing care. Crucially what
is needed now is a genuine cross-party effort to build a system
that will be sustainable and be fair to all.
ENDS
