Services

Families in Britain know we need a social care system that does not strip vulnerable people of hard-won assets. The onset of frailty should not result in impoverishment. The government once again delays the care-cap policy.

Back in 2019, Boris Johnson pledged to “fix the crisis in social care once and for all”. That year’s Conservative manifesto promised the Government would forge cross-party consensus and stated that “nobody needing care should be forced to sell their home to pay for it”. He pledged to set a cap of £86,000 as the maximum anyone should pay for care.

The PM and the Chancellor have now agreed at least a two-year delay to the cap’s introduction. Sir Andrew Dilnot, the architect of the original social care cap policy, commented on the delay “it seems like a breach of promise for some of the most vulnerable people in our society. By not going through with these reforms, we’re leaving people and their families absolutely on their own until they’re down to their last £23,250.”

The sad but simple fact is that legions of people have died while depending on a substandard care system that has devoured their assets. Ministers must ensure that our most vulnerable citizens have the world-class care they need and deserve.