Jeremy Hunt has confirmed that any future scheme set up to fund social care will be capped.
The announcement was made at a gathering of social workers, marking his first policy speech since responsibility for social care was brought under his remit. There was also a pledge to help local authorities struggling to provide social care in the face of reduced budgets.
The confirmation came in the build up to the much anticipated social care green paper, which is due to be released in the summer. The Health Secretary said that the forthcoming report would be based on seven principles. These included:
- Quality
- Personal control
- Workforce planning
- The full integration of health and social care.
Speaking on social care funding, Mr Hunt said: “The way that our current charging system operates is far from fair. This is particularly true for families faced with the randomness and unpredictability of care, and the punitive consequences that come from developing certain conditions over others.
“If you develop dementia and require long-term residential care you are likely to have to use a significant chunk of your savings and the equity in your home to pay for that care. But if you require long-term treatment for cancer you won’t find anything like the same cost.”
Asked whether this meant there would be a cap on the amount an individual would have to pay towards their social care, he confirmed there would be.
The Local Government Association called for action on funding to be prioritised above all else, saying: “Government should first make a downpayment on the green paper by injecting additional resources into the system to ease immediate funding pressures which are set to exceed £2 billion by 2020.”