BBC Care Calculator reveals regional disparity in the cost of care

The BBC has launched the ‘care calculator’, a programme which allows people to find out how the price of care in their area compares to the rest of the country.

The calculator has been created through information from analysts, councils and from a Freedom of Information Act and shows a variance of over £600 between parts of the country with the cheapest and most expensive care costs.

While the average weekly fee for people in England is £574, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland benefit from cheaper average care, costing between £61-£82 a week less.

Janet Morrison, chief executive of older people’s charity Independent Age, said: “Working out what to pay for care is a complex business and is often approached at a strained and emotional point in people’s lives. Anything that makes this process simpler to plan, understand and navigate is applauded. We welcome tools such as the BBC’s Care Calculator, and hope it will help older people and their families to understand the future costs of care and specifically, how it will affect their unique and personal situation.”

The calculator works by using a person’s postcode to show what the average cost of care currently is for their area.

Norman Lamb, England's care minister, told the BBC: “This calculator is a fantastic resource.

“It gives you lots of great information and is what public sector broadcasting is all about. I'm really impressed.”

Both residential care and home care is calculated and an in-depth search can be carried out to estimate how a person’s assets, income and benefits will affect how much they pay towards their own care before costs are capped.

In 2016 the care cap will be introduced to put a limit on what people pay for their own care and has been set at £72,000.

However the cap has been criticised for being complicated and many providers have warned that because the cap does not cover some costs such as accommodation and living costs, people are likely to end up paying much more than £72,000.

Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK believes the cap is a positive step but at its current level will not provide help to enough people paying for care.

Ms Abrahams, said: “The BBC’s online care cap calculator is a useful tool that brings some clarity to a complicated system and gives people an idea of what they can expect when it comes to paying for care to help them plan for the future.

“However, the cap on care costs is nowhere near as straightforward as it sounds. There’s a lot of ‘devil in the detail’ with the care funding reforms. For example, only certain parts of someone’s care and support bill will count towards their cap – not the cost of the board and lodging elements of their care – otherwise known as hotel costs.

“Also any costs over and above the rate that the Council would pay won’t be included. Councils typically pay less than individuals because they buy a number of care home places and so can negotiate a lower price. And once you’ve reached the cap you will still need to go on paying these hotel costs all in all this means someone’s total bill may be much more than £72,000 when all costs are taken into account.

“The fundamental problem is that funding has failed to keep up with ever increasing demand, putting the whole system on the brink of collapse. There is an urgent need for a frank and honest debate around the funding of care and how we can sustain the fair and decent care system that older people deserve and are entitled to expect.”