The Government have vowed in their recent white paper that from October 2023 ‘no one will be forced to pay unlimited and unpredictable costs for their care’. With many of us living longer arranging and paying for care is a growing issue. Whilst many of the aims set out in this paper are admirable – such as supporting those that need care to remain in their own homes or to have a greater choice of care options – the proposals have been widely criticised for not going far enough.
As things stand currently individuals with assets worth more than £23,250 are expected to pay the full cost of their care unless they are eligible for non-means tested NHS funded continuing healthcare. Part of the white paper proposals are to introduce a new £86,000 cap on care fees. This is not dissimilar to the cap that was supposed to be introduced by the Care Act 2014 which was originally intended to be introduced in 2016, then 2020 and then scrapped altogether. Whilst this makes for good headlines the reality is that what would count towards the cap is limited to those fees for personal care but not for living costs which means that despite many having to pay large sums for care only small proportions of that total cost are to be counted towards the cap.
From October 2023, no one will be forced to pay unlimited and unpredictable costs for their care, giving them the certainty and peace of mind that this government will step in and look after those most in need of support.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/people-at-the-heart-of-care-adult-social-care-reform-white-paper/people-at-the-heart-of-care-adult-social-care-reform
