The Times reports that months of squabbling may be coming to an end with the drawing up of a blueprint up by social care experts from all political parties.
They say that leading figures in the social care debate from Labour, the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats have signed a document of principles for a long-term solution, based on a mix of state payment and individual contributions:
The blueprint, published today and seen by The Times, focuses on ten principles for reform of the care system to ensure that there is enough money to cover the rising care costs faced by the country’s growing elderly population. It proposes a funding model based on contributions from the state and individuals, with the heavy financial burden of future costs shared out through general taxation or an insurance plan.
Signatories include Stephen Dorrell, the Tory former health secretary, and Lord Warner, the Labour former health minister. The document makes implicit criticism of the controversial offer by Gordon Brown of free care at home. It concludes that any system “must be predicated on choice”.
The signatories said that the blueprint, which builds on the Social Care Green Paper drawn up last year, stripped back the politicking and insubstantial proposals of recent months. It also discounts the Green Paper’s option of a comprehensive payment model — where everyone would pay a flat sum towards their care either at retirement or as a levy at death — as a starting point for reform, though such payments could be involved for contributing to an insurance scheme.
Andy Burnham, the Health Secretary, and his opposite numbers, Andrew Lansley of the Conservatives and Norman Lamb of the Liberal Democrats are to meet on Wednesday to try and find some consensus on this important issue.
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