Concerns have been raised that the Government is preparing to announce a delay to the cap on social care costs.
As Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Chancellor Jeremy Hunt look to balance the books against a backdrop of rising inflation, interest rates and energy costs, speculation is mounting that the introduction of the care cap could be pushed back until at least 2025.
The proposed cap would limit the amount people are expected to pay for later life care to £86,000, although extra costs would be added on top.
Stephen Lowe, group communications director at Just Group, expressed dismay at the news, noting that its own Care Report had shown 59% of over-75s were delaying making their own financial plans for residential care until government policy is successfully implemented.
Lowe said: “You can’t expect people to plan for later life care when the goalposts keep moving. It is only by sticking to the announced plan and communicating the policy details that people will have confidence to start putting in place arrangements.”
Without planning, Lowe warned that decisions will be made at a point when emotions are “running high”, choices are limited and family members may not agree on the best course of action.
“Planning for care gives people more choice of when and where they receive care and the standard of care obtained. It also means less stress at the point of going into a care home which can be an emotionally charged time for both the resident and their family.
“This rumoured delay would be a catastrophic failure to deliver on much-needed reforms which were so close and yet now seem so far away and will be a hammer below for families up and down the country. It will plunge millions of older, more vulnerable people in our country into chaos and confusion as they wait for concrete action on social care before making their own plans.”
Lowe said that those who have already put care in place for loved ones are facing a “ticking meter” of care fees. According to Just Group’s Care Report, 88% of those who are or have helped someone arrange care were shocked at how expensive it is, while 69% were surprised by how little financial support the state provides and how much they are expected to fund themselves.
Lowe added: “If one thing is clear from the last two decades of dither and delay, it’s that there’s never a good time to fix social care. It’s time the government grasped this simple truth and got on with delivering the reform it promised in its General Election manifesto.”
