17.08.12
Government set to fund Dilnot social care plans
The Dilnot social care proposals are to be broadly accepted by the Department of Health, press reports suggest, in a Government rethink.
Last month sources indicated that whilst the plans had been endorsed, the cost of almost £2bn to the Treasury meant it could be shelved. Today, Andrew Dilnot has asserted that the plans were never officially off the table for consideration.
The proposals will now be formally announced in the autumn and be included in a care and support bill, with the draft version amended to include Dilnot’s recommendations.
The scheme would see the asset threshold over which people would have to contribute to the cost of their care in old age rise from £23,350 at present to £100,000. A £35,000 lifetime cap would be added to costs, after which the state would pay for care.
The proposals are estimated to cost £1.7bn to implement and could be introduced in 2017.
In July, health secretary Andrew Lansley announced the Government was considering a voluntary scheme in which elderly people would pay insurance premiums to the state to ensure their costs for care were capped, rather than Dilnot's universal limit.
Jo Webber, NHS Confederation deputy policy director, said: “We are extremely encouraged by reports that the Government is taking action to tackle the issue of social care funding.
“The country cannot afford to pick up the pieces of a broken social care system. We need to address this issue now or risk paying the price further down the line.”
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