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The Prosser Perspective.... a weekly column from Dover and Deal MP Gwyn Prosser.

16 July 2009

We are an ageing society – for the first time ever there are more pensioners than teenagers and people are living longer. In the year I was born, life expectancy was 65 for men and 70 for women, today it has risen to 77 for men and 82 for women, it’s still rising and we are told that a fifth of babies born this year will live to celebrate their 100th birthdays.

That’s good news, but this increased longevity comes with a price tag – the price of caring. The demand for services is increasing rapidly and in twenty years, we expect that over 1.7 million more adults will have a need for care and support each year.

People face rising and unpredictable care costs, some are having to sell their homes to fund their care and that’s not fair. The current system is not fit for the future and it needs reforming so last year the Government commenced a six-month engagement process with all the stakeholders and Ministers have just published the findings.

The document sets out a vision to build the first National Care Service in England. One that is fair, simple and affordable for everyone. The Green Paper lays out the overall direction and a series of choices for the reform of the care and support system, so that care is high quality and cost-effective and people have choice and control over the care they receive. People want more independence, more choice and more control and we need to reflect these demands in our policy making.

Today’s care system will not be able to cope with future pressures and we need to reform the funding system. If we don’t take action now there will be more and more people going without the care and support they need, with ever-greater uncertainty and unfairness for families.

The new system will ensure that care needs will be assessed in the same way right across England and personalised care and support will be based on personal circumstances and need and most importantly – there will be fairer funding, money will be spent more wisely and everyone will get some help meeting the cost of high care needs.

Three funding options are being considered. The ‘Partnership’ scheme shares costs between the individual and the state, the amount varying according to people’s means. The ‘Insurance’ option also entitles you to have a share of your costs met but this system would go further to help people cover the additional costs of their care through insurance protection.

And thirdly, the ‘Comprehensive’ scheme where everyone over retirement age who had the resources to do so would be required to pay into a State insurance scheme to supplement the state support element of the cost.

The debate we need to have now is about how we balance what it is fair for everyone to pay, against the need to protect some people against having to pay inordinately high costs. But whatever system is adopted – it will mean no more postcode lotteries and no more selling homes for care funding.