How much you need in savings to risk losing your home if you get ill | UK | News

The UK is failing to care for those unable to care for themselves. Governments haven’t addressed this issue for decades, leaving social care a huge problem with no clear plan. Confusion and worry remain, with no real strategy in sight. Many reviews and inquiries occurred over 30 years; still, no meaningful action has been taken on social care.

Sir Andrew Dilnot is a leading expert on this issue. In 2010, he led a commission on care funding that suggested capping individual costs at £35,000, with the state paying the rest. Fifteen years later, he spoke at a parliamentary inquiry, criticizing the lack of progress over three decades.

He said action is “blindingly obvious,” but the issue is “pretty invisible,” hindering progress. Social care isn’t seen as appealing, making progress difficult. The truth is that the situation is sobering.

The UK’s welfare system lacks funds for social care. Cancer treatment is free, but Alzheimer’s care isn’t. People with over £23,250 must currently pay for their social care. Many assume care will be there when needed, but this assumption is often false.

Modest assets may force people to pay high costs, possibly using savings or selling their homes. This denies inheritances to their families, unlike those with cancer who receive taxpayer-funded NHS care regardless of wealth. The already strained social care sector has 152,000 vacancies.

Tax increases harm smaller care providers. These providers care for those local councils place, but the article claims governments hid the crisis’s scale. A £9 billion deficit exists in social care funding, and these increases will cost providers £2.8 billion, leading to planned closures and contract reductions.

Mike Padgham warned of a dangerous situation. He stated the increases’ impact was seriously underestimated, fearing the sector might collapse soon. He also thinks past governments ignored the slow decline and can’t ignore the many expected closures now.

Another commission will report in 2028. Some find little value in this due to numerous delays, especially as the older population will grow by 11% soon. Any useful strategy is now expected only after the next election, possibly including a radical social care tax idea.

Social insurance could fund basic care, and people with means could upgrade their care packages. This would give social care similar respect to the NHS. The neglect of social care is a stain on Britain, and a lack of a plan could be a major policy failure.