What's missing from the social care reform plan?

The government has said its changes to social care funding will make “the system fairer for all” – but there were some details missed out of the announcement.

Included in the plan announced on Tuesday is a cap on how much people will have to pay for social care and an increased minimum amount (£20,000) of financial assets before a person has to pay.

It also proposes a much higher maximum amount of assets (£100,000) people must have before having to pay for their care in full.

But, the proposal has left those in the care sector with questions. Sky News looks at what is missing from the plan.

Does the cap cover living costs?

One of the major changes is from 2023, nobody will pay more than £86,000 over their lifetime for social care, which includes help with tasks such as washing, dressing and eating, in a care home or their own home.

The 33-page plan calls the cap a “seismic change” meaning people will no longer face “unpredictable or unlimited care costs” or be forced to sell their homes to pay for care.

However, there is no mention of whether that cap applies to accommodation costs such as rent, energy bills and food.

But the government has confirmed to Sky News the cap only applies to care, with daily living costs not included in the cap so those in residential care are still responsible for those costs.

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This is in line with what has always happened with social care in the UK because, as the government said, if people in care homes were receiving care at home they would have to pay those bills.

On average, 50% of people in care homes are there for less than a year before they die and only about a quarter are in a home for more than three years.

As there is no cap on accommodation, this means people will have to use their own money to pay so could still end up having to sell their home to cover their daily living costs.

People do not pay for care and accommodation separately in care homes so it remains to be seen how that will be assessed.

When the Lib Dem/Conservative coalition government first considered a social care cap, there was a suggestion accommodation costs should be capped at £12,000 a year – a third of the average annual cost of a care home.

That would still mean a possible £1,000 monthly bill after the cap for most care home residents.

It remains to be seen whether an accommodation cap will be included, with a white paper on the plan to be published in the coming months.

When will the money filter down to social care?

Boris Johnson announced a National Insurance hike of 1.25 percentage points and a dividend tax of 1.25% to raise about £12 billion over three years.

But, this is for both the NHS and social care, with the prime minister saying the funding will be used to deal with the NHS backlog in the early years.

No date has been set for when and how much of that money will go to social care.

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On top of that, a recent report found the NHS needs about an extra £10bn of revenue funding – so will it get that much from the £12bn?

Kathryn Smith, chief executive of the Social Care Institute for Excellence, told Sky News: “Of course, we’re happy to see money on the table.

“But, we need a lot more than that for social care to make a difference and we need to make sure when the white paper comes out it talks about how much of that money will come over to social care.

“Frankly, it’s a false economy. More and more people need hospitals and health care if they’re not able to access social care at home properly at home to live well.

“If we don’t support social care properly it will cost the health service more.”

We know about the money – but what about people?

The new plan says the government will invest “at least £500m” over three years to improve the social care workforce and make working in the sector more rewarding.

However, there are no details on this – although it does say they will be set out in the upcoming white paper on the reform.

Those working in the care sector have said it is crucial they are consulted to ensure social care truly is improved – and to remember social care is not just about care homes and the elderly.

Young people with disabilities, both learning and physical, can rely on social care while it also supports those who have had an accident.

Ms Smith said: “One of the biggest things for us is not just funding, of course, we need more, but it’s how that is spent and how will this reform now happen?

“How will the government involve people who need to access care and support to make sure we come up with a new system that really works for people, rather than just throwing good money at it?

“It seems the financial part has been worked out in some level of detail, but what that actual system reform looks like doesn’t appear to have been worked up yet.

“Within the white paper, we need to see there’s been some intensive engagement with people that draw on care and support and with organisations like ourselves to really steer this white paper to lead to true social care reform that is truly innovative and what people want to receive.”

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