New Research Suggests Government Social Care Cap Will Not Protect The Majority

New research has found that the government’s proposed lifetime cap on care costs for adults in England would not protect the majority of service users.

The cap, currently set at £72,000 and planned to be introduced in 2020, would not include daily living costs. This means people would continue to incur charges for meals and accommodation even after they had reached the spending ‘limit’.

The organisations are proposing that an ‘all-inclusive cap’, set at £100,000, will benefit up to four times as many people and within two to three years.

Independent Age and the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries (IFoA)’s report, titled ‘Will the cap fit?’, reviews several tiered proposals for a cap and looks at how these would affect the total care costs the typical pensioner would have to pay.

Responding to the research, Dominic Carter, Senior Policy Officer at Alzheimer’s Society, said:

‘We have been crying out for an innovative approach to end the extortionate bills people with dementia face when paying for their care, so it’s encouraging to see Independent Age and the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries putting suggestions forward.’

‘People with dementia unfairly fall victim to a number of additional hidden costs, creating a discriminatory ‘dementia premium’. Our helpline advisers often hear from people paying far more for a care home place than those without dementia, despite not receiving any additional or specialist care.’

‘It’s time for an end to the crippling costs, inadequate care and impossible choices people face when simply wanting to look after an elderly relative. A ‘lifetime’ care cap should encompass all charges a person will face. Without this, the name is nothing short of misleading.’