‘Fairer Care Funding’, the report of the Commission on Funding of Care and Support, was published on 4 July 2o11.
The independent commission, chaired by Andrew Dilnot, was set up by the Government in July 2010 and asked to recommend a fair and sustainable funding system for adult social care in England.
Among the recommendations in the report are:
- Individuals’ lifetime contributions towards their social care costs – which are currently potentially unlimited – should be capped. After the cap is reached, individuals would be eligible for full state support. This cap should be between £25,000 and £50,000. We consider that £35,000 is the most appropriate and fair figure;
- The means-tested threshold, above which people are liable for their full care costs, should be increased from £23,250 to £100,000;
- National eligibility criteria and portable assessments should be introduced to ensure greater consistency; and
- All those who enter adulthood with a care and support need should be eligible for free state support immediately rather than being subjected to a means test.
The Commission estimates that its proposals – based on a cap of £35,000 – would cost the State around £1.7billion.
Click here for report (pdf)