Details of social care reform missing, says industry
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Industry organisations are calling on government to urgently reform the social care sector, after it was hinted in the Queen's speech that proposals on social care will be brought forward.
Social care has been too hot a potato to handle for government since Theresa May was forced to U-turn on her 2017 'death tax' proposal whereby people would have had to fund home care post-hoc by selling their homes.
A promised green paper was delayed for years. Earlier this year, the government published 'Integration and Innovation: working together to improve health and social care for all', in which it proposed integrated care systems to bring together the NHS, local government and other local partners in delivering health and care services, but the Royal College of Physicians has lamented "the notable absence of detail on key areas such as social care" in the paper.
In the Queen’s Speech delivered on Tuesday, the Queen introduced the health and care bill, saying among others that "proposals on social care reform will be brought forward".
Tan Suee Chieh, president of the IFoA, said that Covid-19 has exacerbated pressures on the social care system.
Pointing out that the prime minister committed to fixing social care in his December 2019 re-election promise, he said the Queen’s speech presented an opportunity to indicate next steps and a clear timeline for tackling the social care funding crisis.
Social care has been too hot a potato to handle for government since Theresa May was forced to U-turn on her 2017 'death tax' proposal whereby people would have had to fund home care post-hoc by selling their homes.
A promised green paper was delayed for years. Earlier this year, the government published 'Integration and Innovation: working together to improve health and social care for all', in which it proposed integrated care systems to bring together the NHS, local government and other local partners in delivering health and care services, but the Royal College of Physicians has lamented "the notable absence of detail on key areas such as social care" in the paper.
In the Queen’s Speech delivered on Tuesday, the Queen introduced the health and care bill, saying among others that "proposals on social care reform will be brought forward".
Tan Suee Chieh, president of the IFoA, said that Covid-19 has exacerbated pressures on the social care system.
Pointing out that the prime minister committed to fixing social care in his December 2019 re-election promise, he said the Queen’s speech presented an opportunity to indicate next steps and a clear timeline for tackling the social care funding crisis.
"We are concerned that another key moment has passed with no comprehensive plan and that an unclear timetable remains," he said.
“We believe the government must support individuals to manage financial risks, such as those incurred by the need for social care. We urge the government to engage with all relevant stakeholders, including drawing on the professional expertise of the IFoA, to develop a consensus around proposals that can help unlock this impasse for the benefit of the public good," he added.
While the government is making noises about committing to reforms, hard evidence is missing, found Ian Neale, director at policy specialists Aries Insight.
In January 2020, the prime minister said the government would bring forward a plan on adult social care “this year”, Neale said, and would get it done within this parliament. "Needless to say it did not happen," he added, saying that so far, there have been only "vague 'commitments'".
While the government is making noises about committing to reforms, hard evidence is missing, found Ian Neale, director at policy specialists Aries Insight.
In January 2020, the prime minister said the government would bring forward a plan on adult social care “this year”, Neale said, and would get it done within this parliament. "Needless to say it did not happen," he added, saying that so far, there have been only "vague 'commitments'".
Neale said that public discussion on the topic has not even begun, and if legislation is passed by the new parliament, "I shall be very pleasantly surprised".
Others agreed that the proposals remained vague. Becky O’Connor, head of pensions and savings at investment platform interactive investor, said millions of families around the UK needed urgent clarity on social care reform, which if left unaddressed, would reverberate down the generations.
“Planning to meet living costs in retirement is hard enough without the curveball of care costs entering the equation. However, it is becoming a more likely outgoing for more older people, who may have limited means," she said.
“In the meantime, family members turned carers are taking the strain, which in turn has an impact on their earning capacity and ability to invest and look after themselves in their own retirement years," O'Connor added.
Sarah Coles, a personal finance analyst at investment platform Hargreaves Lansdown, said: “The dearth of detail on adult social care in the Queen’s Speech is as unsurprising as it is disappointing. Instead we got a promise to bring ‘proposals’ forward. We’re now very nearly a decade on from the Dilnot Commission, which at the time recommended urgent reform."
She acknowledged that the pandemic has taken up government's resources since its 2019 promise, but warned: "We've been here before."
An "army of informal carers" is paying the price for the delays, she noted, with 5.8m people providing unpaid care in England and Wales in 2011.
Until a solution is available, she said people must consider themselves how they would finance care, which could include using the value of their home.
Sarah Coles, a personal finance analyst at investment platform Hargreaves Lansdown, said: “The dearth of detail on adult social care in the Queen’s Speech is as unsurprising as it is disappointing. Instead we got a promise to bring ‘proposals’ forward. We’re now very nearly a decade on from the Dilnot Commission, which at the time recommended urgent reform."
She acknowledged that the pandemic has taken up government's resources since its 2019 promise, but warned: "We've been here before."
An "army of informal carers" is paying the price for the delays, she noted, with 5.8m people providing unpaid care in England and Wales in 2011.
Until a solution is available, she said people must consider themselves how they would finance care, which could include using the value of their home.
