Social Care update

In a report published by free market thinktank the Centre for Policy Studies, Damian Green argues that current social care provision is patchy and inadequate, and the government should be spending an additional £2.5bn on it each year.

He says, the over-50s might be asked to pay a 1% national insurance surcharge, in exchange for a guarantee that their personal finances will not be exhausted by the costs of social care, and that they will be looked after whatever their condition.

But this seems to be a bit hit and miss which has been the problem in the past. Strictly speaking we all pay into a NI stamp and part of that should be used for social care, but it isn't.

Social care funding has become an increasingly toxic political issue. Campaign group Age UK estimates that total public spending on social care has declined by £160m over the last five years despite rising demand, and 1.2 million of over-65s are missing out on the help they need.

One suggestion by a guest on the today programme this morning was that everyone should start paying into a separate fund when they start work specifically for social care, a bit like a pension, and then there would be less problems when we need it most, at the end of life.

http://caldariborderzone.blogspot.com/2019/04/social-care.html