Welfare Foundation responds to Health Select Committee report on social care from the perspective of low earners 12 March 2010 NEWS RELEASE Strictly embargoed: 00:01 12 March 2010 FOUNDATION RESPONDS TO HEALTH SELECT COMMITTEE REPORT ON SOCIAL CARE FROM PERSPECTIVE OF LOW EARNERS 84% of low earners[1] over 65 years old own their own home[2]: they are asset rich, and income poor Low earners spend 100% of their monthly income leaving little left over for care costs, they also spend 41% of this on essential items each month Low earners are defined as households on an average income of £15,800[3] The Resolution Foundation welcomes the Health Select Committee’s report on the future of social care and its call for all political parties to work together in finding a consensus but calls for more attention to be paid to low earners in the future reform agenda. In particular, the Foundation welcomes the recommendations that: hotel costs are included in the Government’s funding proposals as these will be a hugely significant extra cost for low earners and are likely to dictate the standard of their care Wanless’s co-funding model is an option as many low earners have told us they want a system that is seen to be fair and helping those that save the capital threshold limits are raised in the means test universal access is given to the deferred payment mechanism However, many low-income households lose out in the current care and support system as they are too rich to qualify for state support, having over the threshold of £23,000 of equity in their house, yet are too poor to meet care costs out of their relatively low incomes. The cliff edge on the current means test would therefore need to be raised very substantially to make a difference to them. This is in addition to the fact that many older people currently fail the needs test due to tightened eligibility criteria and the means test in this respect therefore becomes irrelevant. The Foundation was pleased to see the Committee recommending universal access to deferred payment as the reports we published yesterday similarly argued. However, as deferred payments only cover residential care, councils can play an even greater role in helping low earners going without care to meet domiciliary care costs through the equity in their homes too. Funding Future Care Costs identified that: The option for a council to use a charging order power in combination with their well-being power should be used in the short-term to help people access their equity to meet care needs (other than residential) Existing deferred payment schemes (to fund residential care) must be actively and consistently promoted across the country In the longer-term councils should be given the powers to provide interest-free loans secured against homes to enable people to fund their older age care and support needs Funding Future Care Need, shows that there is a 20-30 year window of opportunity when older generations will have significant amounts of housing equity that could be used to meet their care costs (as the Committee says the baby boomers are a specific cohort and it is not clear that younger generations will be in a similar situation in the future). And councils already have the powers in place to help individuals access their equity in a safe and easy way. These powers are just not being used, are misunderstood or implementation varies across the country. The Foundation believes that accessing housing equity is part of an interim solution to help those who are struggling to pay for their care now. Like many other organisations, the Resolution Foundation has argued that a lasting funding settlement is crucial in the long-term of which equity release may be one of many options. However, more needs to be done now to help those who are going without care. Sophia Parker, Acting Director of the Resolution Foundation said: “The Health Select Committee’s report is very timely and I hope that the issues it raises will form the basis for cross party talks so that social care reform is still a priority after the election. Many low earners are squeezed in the current care system – excluded from help because of modest assets, yet unable to afford care costs. We published two reports which show what more must be done, immediately, to help people pay for the care and support they need now.” “The Resolution Foundation is not advocating that releasing housing equity is the solution to our funding crisis in long-term care but we do believe it is an interim solution to help many low earners who currently end up going without or rely on inadequate informal care. In the longer-term the cliff-edge many low earners currently face can and must be ended in a reformed social care system.” More on low earners and social care: The Resolution Foundation, which works to improve outcomes for low earners, also found that[4]: Low earners are more likely to have experience of the care system: They are twice as likely to be care users Low earners, many of which are self-funders, say they find the system complex, inaccessible, and unfair. The Foundation believes that a reformed social care system must put an end to the cliff-edge that low earners currently face by creating a more transparent and fairly funded system. The Foundation would also urge caution as to where the cut off point for contributing and means-testing falls, so that low earners do not continue to be overlooked or penalised in the future. The Foundation’s research has also shown that, whilst a lasting funding settlement is crucial, this goes hand-in-hand with a reformed system[5]. The Foundation was therefore also pleased the Green Paper pointed to: A new national minimum entitlement which will end the current unfairness and confusion experienced by low earners. A key role for local authorities to manage the market of care and support providers. As many low earners are self-funders this will help improve their access to the care they need. A commitment to provide everyone who needs care and support with a national assessment, information and advice, and personalised care and support. This will offer low earners the advice and support they need to make the most of their modest income and get the care they need. /Ends For further information please contact Cara Brown on 020 3372 2954 / 07957 536758 or Mark Hanson on 07973 697 947 Sophia Parker, Acting Director, and Matthew Whittaker, the report’s author, are available for further comment or interviews. All the Foundation’s research, reports, briefings, seminar notes are available on our website www.resolutionfoundation.org Note to editor: [1] At its broadest, we define the group as including all those with below-median income (from all sources) who are not dependent on state support. For the purposes of analysis, precise definitions depend on the data source being used: details are provided in Appendix 3. However, as a proxy, we consider the low earning group to comprise those households in income deciles 3, 4 and 5: that is, with equivalised[1] gross annual income between £13,500 and £25,800. Around 7.2 million households fall into this category in the UK, accounting for around 14.0 million adults.[1] We define two other income groups in relation to low earners: households with above-median equivalised incomes (income deciles 6-10) are considered higher earners, while those with below £13,500 income (deciles 1 and 2) are considered benefit-dependent. [2] 84 per cent of low earner households where the head is aged 65-79 live in owned property, as do 80 per cent of those where the head is aged 80+ (based on analysis of DWP, Family Resources Survey 2007-08). [3]The Resolution Foundation, Lost: low earners and the elderly care market [4] The Resolution Foundation, Navigating the Way: the future care and well-being of older people
