Funding Commission's recommendations welcomed

Directors of adult social services have welcomed "without reservation" recommendations made by the Commission on Funding of Care and Support.  ADASS president Peter Hay said the report from the Commission published this month "signals what will become the moment when adult social care was put on a footing to become fit for purpose in the twenty first century.” 

The Commission led by Andrew Dilnot, was set up in July 2010 and asked to recommend a fair and sustainable funding system for adult social care in England.

Among the recommendations made in the Commission’s report are:

• Individuals’ lifetime contributions towards their social care costs – which are currently potentially unlimited – should be capped. After the cap is reached, individuals would be eligible for full state support. This cap should be between £25,000 and £50,000. £35,000 is considered the most appropriate and fair figure
• The means-tested threshold, above which people are liable for their full care costs, should be increased from £23,250 to £100,000
• National eligibility criteria and portable assessments should be introduced to ensure greater consistency
• All those who enter adulthood with a care and support need should be eligible for free state support immediately rather than being subjected to a means test.
  

The Commission estimates that its proposals – based on a cap of £35,000 – would cost the State around £1.7billion.

Recommendations will form the basis of future consultation with government.

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