Age UK calls for action on Dilnot Report

The charity Age UK is calling for the Government to take immediate action to help avoid a crisis in meeting the costs of care.

In a recent article in the Daily Mirror it points out that despite a top level report in July from leading economist Andrew Dilnot, highlighting the urgent need for reform of the current care funding system, nothing has yet changed. Recommendations from Mr Dilnot include a £35,000 cap on the amount individuals should have to contribute towards care costs before they become eligible for full state support – currently this is potentially unlimited and can run into hundreds of thousands of pounds.

And he believes the means-tested threshold, above which people are liable for full care costs, needs to be raised from £23,250 to £100,000. Mr Dilnot says the current system is confusing, unfair and unsustainable. People can’t protect themselves against the risk of very high care costs and risk losing all their assets, including their house.

Age UK agrees. The charity’s director Michelle Mitchell said: "The current care system is in crisis. None of us want to live in a society where older people have to struggle on alone, isolated, scared and vulnerable for the last years of their lives but many are currently failed by the system, which is at breaking point. "In the not too distant future, unless significant reform takes place, the system faces collapse."

Paul Green, head of communications at insurance firm Saga, which specialises in helping over-50s, said: "There are supposed to be various groups working on the Dilnot report but it has gone very quiet. This needs to be resolved and quickly. It’s going to be tough for everyone but it could work better with a plan of action. There are things the Government can do without waiting.

"The solution is that the Government needs to put up more money and it needs to encourage people to save. We think a Care Fee ISA would work to get people to put a bit away to help pay for care needs later in life. This problem won’t mature like a good cheese. It will get stinkier but won’t taste any better."

Age UK is calling on all political parties to ensure that the recommendations made by Mr Dilnot to improve the care system are acted upon as a matter of urgency. It said: "We cannot afford to let this opportunity pass to build a fair and sustainable social care system. The longer we wait, the worse it will get."