Comment on Fixing the Care Crisis report by Damian Green MP for the Centre for Policy Studies, George McNamara, Director of Policy at Independent Age, said:
"Social care is in crisis, letting down thousands of older people every day. It is scandalous that older people and their families are having to sell their homes, drain their savings or go into debt just to get vital care and support. This report reiterates the need for urgent action by the government, who have dithered and delayed for over two years, pushing many older people into crisis. One thing that is clear from this report, and the growing consensus, is that a care cap will not work.
"The proposed Universal Care Entitlement would need to be at a high enough level for older people to enable them to live well, not just enough to get by. This should mean as a minimum all older people having access to free personal care, an entitlement that is already available in Scotland and has proven to be popular, affordable and sustainable. It must also address the unmet care needs of the 1 million older people missing out on support as they are not eligible, according to criteria set out by government. If we are asking the public to pay more through taxation, they need to know they will get access to the care they need.
"The difficulty with splitting care between an entitlement and a supplement is that it runs the risk of a two-tier system. It is hard to predict our future care needs, and with 2 million older people living in poverty, it is crucial their care costs are fully protected too."