Unfair cap on care costs

The Relatives & Residents Association responded to the Government consultation on ‘adult social care charging reform’, welcoming the recognition that the current system for funding care and support is unfair and unsustainable. However, we expressed our concern that the proposed cap on care costs falls far short of a new system which is fair, simple, and sustainable.

The benefits and reach of the proposals are limited by the high level of the cap and the complicated administrative arrangements which underlie the policy. It is fundamentally unfair as it will fail to protect those with less wealth, many of whom will still have to spend all or nearly all of their savings, while those with greater wealth will spend a much smaller share. This is very far from the ‘levelling up’ agenda the Government are pursuing.

The new system is complex, will place a significant extra burden on local authorities, and will not make it easier for people in care to navigate care costs. In the absence of greater additional funding this cap will do little to ease, and may in fact exacerbate, instability in the sector. Simply substituting, in some cases, public spending for private spending, without enough additional funds to support care providers, will not create a sustainable system of social care that is so desperately needed.

Read R&RA’s submission to the consultation here.