The UK Government has today [July 11] announced it cannot yet commit to bringing in the cap on social care costs proposed after a major review last year.

The Dilnot Commission proposed there should be a £35,000 cap on social care costs that individuals must pay – to avoid people having to sell their homes to pay for care.

However the announcement that the cap plan was being delayed – unveiled alongside a White Paper and Draft Bill setting out other changes to social care in England – has disappointed many who’d campaigned for it. 

Ministers say they need to explore cheaper options first due to the current financial climate. These include:

• a higher cap on care costs
• asking people to pay a fee to opt-in to the system (those who did not could face unlimited costs)

Other proposals announced by UK Health Secretary Andrew Lansley included:

• From 2015 there will be a national standards in England setting out who is entitled to help at home and residential care places (currently each of England’s 152 councils can set is own eligibility criteria for care of the elderly and disabled).
• Those who face the largest costs will also be able to defer payment until after their death.
• This loan scheme, which is already available in some areas, means those who need to go into care homes and are not entitled to state funding – anyone with assets of more than £23,250 does not get help – will have their fees paid for and then recovered from their estate.
• Interest would accumulate on the loan.