Parties seek consensus

Cross party talks have begun on the future of care and support for the elderly and disabled in England.

Plans for reform of adult care services are due to be published this spring and consensus among the main political parties is seen as integral to their success.

Central to discussions will be recommendations from the Dilnot Commission proposing that payments from people in need of care should be capped at £35,000. 

Under the current system, means-testing requires anyone with assets over £23,250 to pay for the entire cost of their care, forcing thousands of people to sell their homes each year when they go into residential care.

In an interview with The Telegraph, Chair of the Commission, Andrew Dilnot says MPs and members of the House of Lords “across the political spectrum” support the principles of his report; and that “Doing nothing is not an option”, as “there isn’t a cheaper and more effective way of making the kind of change we all think is necessary.”

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