The Government’s social care reforms are causing confusion for millions of UK adults, prompting many to believe they no longer need to plan for their own later life care.
Research by Just Group found that more than two-fifths (41%) of UK adults, the equivalent of 22 million people, do not understand the proposed reforms to social care policy. Uncertainty was greatest surrounding the level of the proposed cap and ongoing daily living costs payable after meeting the cap.
Two thirds (66%) of people failed to correctly identify the £86,000 limit of the proposed care cap, with just a third (34%) able to do so.
Four in five (81%) were also unaware that they may have to pay more than £86,000 overall once daily living costs and excess fees above the Local Authority rate were included.
Stephen Lowe, group communications director at Just Group, called upon the government to communicate more detail on the proposals.
“Now that the fundamentals of the planned reforms have been announced and publicised it is worrying that the details released so far have left the vast majority of people with completely the wrong end of the stick.
“The sooner the government makes crystal clear to people the financial responsibilities they will still bear, the sooner people can start planning. Confusion is rife and the government has a duty to address this.”
Just Group said the social care reforms had led a fifth (19%) of people to believe they no longer needed to make financial plans for care, with the majority (44%) unsure. Less than four in 10 (8%) said they would actively put financial plans in place for the possibility they need care in later life.
Lowe added: “Most people will need to fund at least some of the costs if they need professional help in later life whether that be at home or in a residential care home, so it is important people think about the expense in advance.
“Care costs are just one part of a complex equation and people need to grapple with other factors like the benefit system, whether their home might be included in any means test, whether they could qualify for NHS Continuing Healthcare Funding or might they need to call on family to provide some care.
“It’s easy for people to put future care costs in the ‘too difficult’ box and then arrive at the point of needing care completely unprepared. The government needs to ramp up its publicity and information campaigns so people have the best chance to plan. Simply announcing plans and waltzing off to leave people to work it out for themselves is no help to anyone.”
