New partnership between state and individuals required to fund care. But what kind?
2 July 2007 | Website team, Caring ChoicesPaying for care needs to be a shared responsibility between the state and individuals, with everyone receiving at least some public funding. This emerging consensus in the Caring Choices debates was supported by the majority of participants at the third event, held in Bristol on 22 June.
Three-quarters of participants were in favour of shared funding of care. And an even greater number believed that the state should contribute at least something to the cost of personal care for everyone who needs it, with a reduced role for means-testing.
Beyond these broad lines of agreement, however, there was a multiplicity of views on how exactly a new care funding system should be designed.
Some participants questioned whether ‘personal care’ was the right focus for new public subsidies. There was a desire to avoid creating new artificial distinctions and a belief that resources should be available for whatever is most helpful to individuals, which will not always involve help with personal tasks.
And while participants were generally in favour of individuals accepting their share of responsibility in helping to pay for their own care, there were differing views on how this should happen. Some saw the merit in insurance; others felt that each person needed to save for their own ‘rainy day’.
Most of all, however, people wanted a stable, adequate and easy-to-understand system. Even in the process of this consultation, the options as described can seem quite complex. Simple solutions capable of commanding wide support will be at a premium as the debate continues.
Read our full report from the Bristol event (PDF – 75KB)
July 23rd, 2007 at 8:11 pm
Their is a law which was made in 1946, which states that nursing care should be free. This goverment, has changed the wording of this law, and they are breaking the law by forcing people who have paid their taxes and insurance through the whole of their working life, to pay for their own care, or struggle without help. I can’t believe this is happening in England, it’s like we have done something wrong, and the wrong is being old. If change has to happen, then change should happen gradually,over years, not oppress people who cannot do anything about their situation.
I am ashamed of being English, and ashamed of my country, that we should do this, to such vunerable people of our society. How did we ever get to this stage, and of course the very person who I hold responsible, is no longer dictating to the people of this country.
September 30th, 2007 at 12:48 am
There is no way of distinguishing between personal care and health care: this holy grail of the allegedly caring agencies merely demonstrates the futility of our current organisational divides between central government NHS spending and local government social services spending. All this is meaningless for the citizen: the question is really who should protect the family from the random risk of bankruptcy that falls between an early and merciful death of a much-loved relative by a quick coronary or the lingering death by some lingering disease like dementia. Obviously the difference is huge financially and in terms of the massive cost to the families in caring for disabled individuals, and equally obviously the cost is far too great to be borne by the individual. Society must provide the social insurance to enable us all to enjoy a dignified and poverty-free last few years of life.
As a working carer, I have reached the conclusion that society must share the cost of caring with the individual: carers will no longer tolerate this endless squabbling between the various arms of government, which are all funded through our taxes. Lets bite the bullet, and give carers greater priority in the next budget!