Dilnot report
Published on 01 July 2011 02:00 PM
Government needs to contribute more funding to adult social care and support services, according to Age Cymru.
The charity is making the call ahead of the publication on Monday of a landmark report into the future of care funding and support.
The Dilnot Commission's report will be making recommendations for changes to the funding of care and support in England, which will have a knock-on effect in Wales.
Age Cymru's Head of Policy and Public Affairs, Graeme Francis says:
"Age Cymru believes strongly that there must be an additional government contribution towards care services.
"The current system is broken and struggling with a long-term legacy of underfunding.
"It is vital that older people are guaranteed high-quality care when they need it and we also need a new, fairer way for paying for long-term care.
"This is why we would like this report to specify the funding levels that would be needed to allow this to happen and to outline how that funding should be raised.
"We expect the Dilnot Commission to recommend the introduction of a limit to the cost people have to pay when they're funding their care.
"We would be supportive of this because it would help to protect people who have to meet extremely high charges in the current system.
"We feel this would also encourage individuals to plan ahead as they would know the limit of their financial liability for care services they might need, and it would help to open up a private insurance market for investment products to cover personal liability and protect middle and higher level earners.
"Age Cymru are also keen for the Commission to propose that the means-test for these care services should be increased beyond the current £22,500, which is felt by many to be far too low.
"People with over this amount of savings, capital or assets currently have to meet their own care costs in full."
The Dilnot Commission was set up in July 2010 by the UK Government, tasked with making recommendations for changes to the funding of care and support in England.
It is chaired by the economist Andrew Dilnot and will be publishing its recommendations on 4 July 2011.