Free care for the elderly proposed

A key new report has called for a minimum level of free care for the elderly to be provided regardless of income, at three times the current level of investment.

Sir Derek Wanless's findings for the King's Fund think tank, published on Thursday following a year of deliberation, found that far too many pensioners are being forced to sell their homes in order to pay for care under the existing means-tested arrangements.

Instead Sir Derek, who reviewed NHS finances for the government in a landmark report, called for a universal level of free care to be offered alongside personal contributions for extra care to be matched by ministers.

Under the plan those who cannot afford to make their own contributions could use benefits such as disability allowance to top up their own accounts.

"To provide good social care for older people in England in 20 years' time and meet people's expectations, we will need to devote a larger share of our national income to social care," Sir Derek said.

"At the moment we have a safety net for poorer people but good social care should be about much more than that.

"We need to ensure that all older people are able to remain as healthy and independent as possible.

"However, the current system is failing to do this and is too focused on a small number of older people with the most significant social care needs."

Homes

Care services minister Liam Byrne welcomed Sir Derek's report and its focus on allowing people to stay in their own homes.

"We think for many, many people the best care home is their own home and 40 per cent more people are now supported to live in their home than in 1997/98," he said.

"We want that number to grow - that's because 80 per cent to 90 per cent of older people say they want to be at home."

Byrne added that the model being proposed would not eliminate means testing completely from the system but he agreed there needed to be "much closer working" between the NHS and social care services and that spending implications would have to be considered.

"Our recent white paper set out an ambitious agenda for active old age with real choices and a boost for preventative services," he said.

"Now we want to back those plans with funding that's fair and fit for the future. It's a privilege to live in a society where people are living longer but as a country it is vital we plan ahead.

"That is why the Treasury pinpointed ageing as a key challenge for the spending review and that's why today we're bringing together an unprecedented group to advise us.

"Sir Derek's work will give us a flying start."

Duty

But Liberal Democrat health spokesman Sandra Gidley said Sir Derek had delivered "a damning verdict" on Labour's record in office.

"The government have neglected their duty to look after some of the most vulnerable people in our society," she said. 

"The government must remove the artificial distinction between a means-tested social care system operating alongside an NHS that is free at the point of need. Otherwise the care of the frail and elderly will continue to suffer.    

"As a society, we have to decide whether we want to invest in improving services for older people.  As our population ages, it would be a wise long-term investment to implement Wanless's recommendations. 

"The Liberal Democrats would introduce free personal care, unrestricted by discriminatory criteria, for the elderly as we have done in government in Scotland."