10 signatures reached
To: Cabinet Minister and Health Secretary
Government need to implement a cap on Adult Social Care costs NOW!
Reform of adult social care – CAP to be brought into force NOW.
Why is this important?
Now, following publication of its ‘next steps’ document on 4 April 2023, many of the remaining measures from the White Paper have been cut back or even abandoned. Most notably, a key promise of at least £500 million to be spent on workforce training, qualifications and wellbeing has been cut to £250 million, and a promised £300 million to transform housing options has been replaced by £102 million for smaller in-home adaptations. Spending on innovation and improvement has also been cut back, though investment in digital has emerged largely untouched and there are very small pots for carer support, international recruitment and volunteers.
This reduction in spending is particularly disappointing because it comes at a time when all the trends on adult social care are going in the wrong direction: more people are asking for support but fewer are getting it; workforce vacancies are at an all-time high and public satisfaction with social care is at its lowest ever.
In September 2021 Boris Johnson's government announced a proposed cap of £86,000 to be introduced for Adult Social Care in England from October 2023. This means the cap on personal care costs will place a limit on the costs that people will need to spend to meet their eligible care and support needs. Meaning you will never pay any more that £86,000 over your lifetime.
It was labelled a “watershed moment” and the “biggest shakeup in a generation”. We have now learned that Rishi Sunak's government has postponed the introduction of the proposed cap until 2025.
However, in recent months – and following two changes of prime minister – reform has entirely stalled. In its November 2022 Autumn Statement, the government announced that the cap and means test reforms would be postponed until October 2025. With a general election to be held no later than January 2025, therefore there is a significant risk that these reforms are never implemented.
Please help me get this reform brought in force now.
Thank you.
