King’s Fund: Care reform could be kicked into long grass

The King’s Fund has warned that reform of long-term care funding may be “kicked into the political long grass” after the election because of the lack of consensus between the major parties.

The think tank’s chief executive, Professor Chris Ham, expressed these fears following an election hustings hosted by the fund today, involving health secretary Andy Burnham and his Conservative and Liberal Democrat shadows, Andrew Lansley and Norman Lamb

During a sometimes fractious debate, the three were asked whether they would provide a commitment to set out “concrete and costed proposals within a year of the election while also seeking consensus on that reform”.

Of the three, Lamb was the only one to provide commitment on both fronts and said all options for reform should be considered, though he pointed out that a voluntary insurance model, as backed by the Tories, had not worked in other countries.

Burnham restated the route map laid out in last month’s care White Paper, under which an all-party commission would be set up after the election to examine how personal care could be funded free at the point of need through a compulsory levy on all adults.

A commission is backed by the Lib Dems but not by the Conservatives.

Lansley continued to insist that the Tories’ plan for people to be given the option of paying £8,000 to insure themselves against care home costs was the fairest way ahead, but failed to lay out a timescale for implementation.

The Tories have ruled out a compulsory levy, which they have dubbed a “death tax” in repeated attacks on Labour in the past two months.

Following the debate, Ham said that despite the politicians’ clear commitment towards reform it would be difficult to reach consensus.

He said: “The chances of us getting consensus is remote and if the opinion polls are to be believed and we get a hung – or balanced Parliament – reform will be between two or more parties. The risk is it will be kicked into the long grass again.”

During the debate the three spokespeople also laid out their commitment towards allowing public sector workers to take over the services they run and outlined the need for greater integration between health and social care.

• Watch the debate.

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