A much-needed cap on social care costs will be “impossible” to deliver next year as promised, alarmed local authorities have warned.
Changes set to come into effect in October 2015 will see an £86,000 limit on the amount anyone spends on social care in their lifetime. But the County Councils Network – which represents large authorities across England – has called for this to be pushed back by at least a year.
It says it won’t be possible without more money being allocated, and warns staff shortages will scupper the timetable. Although Labour didn’t include the reform in its manifesto, Health Secretary Wes Streeting has indicated it will go ahead as planned.
Analysis by the CCN suggests that the cost of the reforms will be around £9billion over nine years. Martin Tett, adult social care spokesman for the network, said the new Government must make an “urgent decision”. He said: “Councils have serious concerns over their deliverability: these new estimates show the costs have increased significantly to £30billion over the next decade, while currently the reforms are totally unfunded.”
He went on: “To put it bluntly, it will be impossible to implement these reforms next Autumn in the current timescales and with no funding committed to the reforms.” Mr Tett said that although councils support the measure, introduced to tackle the impact of enormous care costs, nine in 10 don’t think it can be delivered on time.
The shake-up, announced in 2020, includes a more generous means-test and a new fair cost of care for providers. Mr Streeting said during the election campaign that Labour intended to go ahead. Asked to make a firm commitment to bringing in the cap next year, he told the BBC in June: “That’s the plan, as things stand.”
The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) found there is no funding set aside for the reforms – meaning it would have to be found from existing budgets or raised through raising taxes. The CCN said 92% of councils support a delay of at least a year. The Department for Health and Social Care has been contacted for comment.