What Does The New Coalition Government Mean For The Provision Of Social Care And Funding?

Reforming how the elderly are cared for was one of the key issues debated during the general election. However, all of the main parties were able to agree that care homes and care services for those living at home were poorly distributed and unfunded.

The new government has pledged to set up an independent commission to examine the issue of the funding of long term care and this commission will report within the year. The recommendations of a White Paper published by the previous Labour government proposing a funding model for free universal care based on compulsory contributions have now been shelved. The care service minister, Paul Burstow, said that the commission “will be tasked with delivering a sustainable settlement which is a fair partnership between the tax payer and the individual”. This seems to indicate that the tax payer will be paying for at least a proportion of the costs for any new system which emerges. The new government will scrap the provision of the Personal Care at Home Bill which aimed to provide free care at home, despite it being passed into law shortly before the election.

The plan to set up an independent commission has been welcomed by Age UK (the newly combined Age Concern and Help the Aged) who hope that the commission’s findings will result in plans to improve quality and spread the cost of care. However, Saga’s Emma Soames has expressed concern that the appointment of a commission will merely delay addressing the urgent decisions regarding social care and funding.

In the meantime, as we stand at the moment, those with assets of more than £23,250 are expected to meet care costs in full. The value of an individuals home will be taken into consideration in this financial assessment unless a surviving spouse or relative over 60 or who is incapacitated continues to live there.

However, the NHS is responsible for meeting care home fees in full if an individuals needs are assessed as those that are primarily health based. This is known as NHS Continuing Health Care Funding and is not means-tested. In order to check whether someone qualifies to receive NHS Continuing Healthcare Funding, they must undergo an assessment by a multi-disciplinary team. An assessment can be requested by the person requiring care, their next of kin, solicitor or carer. The request needs to be made to the Primary Care Trust.

If you would like to discuss any of these or other care issues please contact our specialist elderly care team

Published 14/06/2010. The author of this article is Nick Latimir