Further delays to White Paper as Government goes cold on social care reform

Labour is calling for the Government to act, after reports that the Government is going cold on social care reform, with the White Paper on adult social care yet again delayed.

The White Paper on adult social care was originally meant to be published last autumn, then it got pushed back to this spring. Now the BBC is reporting it has been delayed again till July.

The BBC claims one of the reasons for the delay is that the Government fears Andrew Dilnot's proposals do not provide a solution to the care funding crisis.

The key Dilnot reforms would be a life-time cap of £35,000 on the contribution costs people are expected to make towards their care costs, with the mean-tested threshold for savings below which people become eligible for state-funded residential care, increasing from £23,250 to £100,000.

However there are concerns this won't produce enough money to pay for the care of people who don’t have any savings.

Andy Burnham MP, Labour's Shadow Health Secretary, said: “I sincerely hope today's reports of the Treasury going cold on social care reform are not accurate.

"People have waited long enough already for political parties to get their act together. The longer we delay, the more families will face the terrible prospect of losing everything they have worked for.”

He called the Dilnot proposals an “important first step towards a fairer system” and said: “Any solution requires difficult political decisions. So my offer to the Government, and I hope this will be heard in the Treasury, is to suspend politics as usual so the Government has the space to initiate a public debate on these difficult choices.”

Mr Burnham added: “This generation of politicians needs to show political courage because, without that, there will be no progress.

“The Government owes it to older people to be honest about its plans rather than sending out smoke signals from the Treasury.”

Andy Sawford, chief executive of the Local Government Information Unit, a local government think tank, said: “Real reform of social care needs cross government support, as well as cross party support, so I understand why the Department of Health are working to get the Treasury on board with proposals.

"The Dilnot recommendations point the way forward but everyone knows there are major problems with implementing them. A nationally set cap will have hugely varying effects in different areas of the country, particularly in terms of house price variations. The Dilnot approach will not bring enough money into the system to meet demand, and there is a question of timing, there is already a huge amount of unmet need and the funding gap will continue to widen.

"The funding reforms must be linked to reforms to the health and social care system so that there is a massive reorientation towards prevention, helping people to stay well, and taking costs out.”

The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Local Government is currently undertaking a major inquiry into the future provision and funding of adult social care.

The group has heard evidence from experts across the adult social care sector, including the Department of Health, Age UK, senior parliamentarians and local authorities.

The All-Party Parliamentary Group will publish their report on 16 July.

Downing Street has refused to say if the White Paper on adult social care will be published before MPs break next month for the summer recess, saying it will be “within the coming months”.

Image: Andy Burnham, MP, Labour's Shadow Health Secretary - courtesy of the Labour Party