Social care staff urged to shape future adult care funding

Social care staff and others have been asked to have their say on how the care funding system in England should be reformed, as the Commission on Funding Care and Support launched a call for evidence today.

The commission, set up in July to consider how the care system can cope with increased demographic pressures and current unmet need, said it wanted to build on past evidence and gain fresh perspectives, stressing that all options were under consideration.

It outlined four issues that any reform would have to address:

• It would need to bring in more resources from the state, individual service users’ incomes and family carers.

• People should have the opportunity to be protected against the future costs of care.

• People would need to understand how the care system works and be encouraged to plan accordingly.

• People would need to understand the respective roles of the NHS, the social care system and benefits such as disability living allowance and attendance allowance.

The commission said too many people wrongly believed that their care would be free and that the overlap between the NHS, social care and disability benefits also created confusion.

It said any funding ideas had to be “sustainable and resilient”, “fair” and offer “value for money”.

Commission chair Andrew Dilnot said: “Access to new ideas and perspectives is critical if we are to find a lasting solution to a sustainable and resilient care system – both in terms of funding and delivery.”

“All options are currently under consideration and we are open to new suggestions. The call for evidence is our attempt at harnessing the thinking that has gone on to date and encouraging those with expertise and interest in this area to share their evidence and views on reform.”

The call for evidence is open until 28 January 2011. Click here to send any responses .

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