Partnership has claimed a victory for financial advice in the Progress Report on Funding reforms, released today.
The long term care specialist has been campaigning for better access to financial advice to be included in the Governments plans for the social care sector and has lauded the announcement of a working group to explore the issue.
The Progress Report said: "We will set up an expert working group involving the Government, the financial services sector, local authorities and the care sector to support development of the information offer.
"The group will explore how the sector as a whole can contribute, and make links with pensions, benefits, wider services and specialist financial advice to ensure the offer is comprehensive."
Chris Horlick, managing director, care at Partnership, said: "We would certainly like to be a member of this group. I very much hope they will come to specialists directly, rather than work through trade associations and the like. We can get straight to the heart of the matter."
The insurer also praised inclusion in the White Paper on Social Care, also published today, of national eligibility criteria, portable assessments, universal information and advice.
"All the things they could pick off of Dilnot they have. It's all good stuff," said Horlick.
He was less pleased with the Progress Report's treatment of the funding of social care: "It's slightly meaningless to say they support Dilnot in principle unless they actually have a plan to do something about it.
"The current plan seems to be to consider this in the next comprehensive spending review which is...2014 or possibly Q4 2013? Nobody knows."
"We are profoundly disappointed that there is no obvious new money around the levels of Dilnot funding."
