Report on Social Care failing in technicalities says Partnership

The Health Committee report on Social Care is making recommendations having failed to understand the technicalities behind the Dilnot Report, Partnership has said.

The key recommendations of the Dilnot Commission's report concern the introduction of a series of caps on the contributions required from individuals to the cost their own social care.

Dilnot recommends a cap of between £25,000 and £50,000 (£35,000 is suggested) on the amount that any individual has to pay for their care, after which the state would bear the costs.

He also recommends this capped figure would not include costs associated with accommodation, food and other living costs, but that this would be subject to a separate cap.

The Health Committee report on Social Care said: "Dilnot also recommends that there should be a separate cap on living costs of between £7,000 and £10,000 per annum. We support this and recommend that the Government accepts it."

Chris Horlick, managing director of long term care at Partnership, said: "Unfortunately I think the Committee has misunderstood.

"They have essentially taken the hotel costs and assumed that was a cap. What Dilnot says is that there should be a contribution towards living costs from those going into residential care to create fairness between residential care and home care.

"But it is not a total cap on hotel costs. It is subject to the amount local authorities will pay, so any amount over and above that rate would still have to be funded by the individual."

Horlick gave the example of a client in care for four years (the average time spent in care for self funders), a £35,000 care cap and the £10,000 hotel cap. Under the current system an individual would pay £208,000 over four years and under the Dilnot system they would still pay £189,000.

He added: "I'm really concerned that the report has not understood this and that the public will not understand this."