Care costs cap 'delayed until 2020'

stanleypj

Registered User
Dec 8, 2011
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North West
Thanks for starting this Maureen. I just heard it myself. As you say, no real surprise.

It was never going to be an adequate answer to a big question and now, if it ever happens, it's way off in the middle distance.

I think I'm right in saying that prior to the election the start date was 'brought forward' from 2017 to 2016. So this is even worse and cynical than it appears - a true double-cross. No-one will now believe that it will happen at all - whoever is in power in 2020.
 

Spamar

Registered User
Oct 5, 2013
7,723
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Suffolk
You put it so succinctly, Stanley. I always suspicious of legislation. I was obviously right in this case!
 

Pete R

Registered User
Jul 26, 2014
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Staffs
I was not a fan of the cap itself as it was set way to high and would only have helped a few who happen to outlive by a long way the 2 year average of being in a CH.

However, regrettably, it does also seem to mean that the proposed capital limits increase will also be postponed which was estimated to help around £35,000 people on its first day.:(
 

Pete R

Registered User
Jul 26, 2014
2,036
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Staffs
I think I'm right in saying that prior to the election the start date was 'brought forward' from 2017 to 2016. So this is even worse and cynical than it appears - a true double-cross. No-one will now believe that it will happen at all - whoever is in power in 2020.

I have a government fact sheet dated 2013 that states the implementation was always going to be April 2016.
 

Chaucer 1931

Registered User
Mar 30, 2014
226
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The question is what is the CEO of the Alzheimer's Society going to do about this now?

Yes iam disappointed too,to put it very mildly,but I wasn't holding my hopes up once the Cons had won the election. One rule for the rich and one for the poor...



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nitram

Registered User
Apr 6, 2011
30,081
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Bury
The capital limit increase to £27000 (£118000 if property involved) would have helped a lot of people but would have put a strain on LA funds. Additionally the LA would have the expense of maintaining personal budgets for anybody, including self funders, receiving care.

The LA would also have had to assess a fair charge for all care and in the case of residential care split the hotel and care costs. All this would have needed resources that many LA do not have, they were already starting to outsource this work.

As the BBC calculator showed many people would have to spend something like £150000 to reach the £72000 cap, several dying before they reached the cap.

I agree the following quote from the BBC article:-

Age UK's Caroline Abrahams said the delay was the right decision as introducing the cap now would have been a "distraction" at a time when the care system was in a state of "cataclysmic" decline.
"What matters now is that the government grasps the scale of the galloping crisis and uses the spending review to bring forward effective solutions."
She said she hoped the delay would lead to a rethink as the cap had been set too high in the first place.
Prof Martin Green, chief Executive of Care England, which represents care providers, said it was now time to come up with a "sustainable" solution "once and for all".
"If the government refuses to address the issue of funding, we will have a care system in crisis and the NHS unable to cope with the pressure," he added.
 

Chaucer 1931

Registered User
Mar 30, 2014
226
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Well as I'm sure many will agree,some councils have no facilities to care for those in need of residential care or even readily available respite.
It doesn't seem fair that a little flicker of hope has been extinguished for the foreseeable future,another policy shelved before it's even got off the drawing board..
Yes,it needs further consideration,but not much consolation to those in need of care at present..


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Kevinl

Registered User
Aug 24, 2013
6,059
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Salford
Let's face it, this (or any other government) when it looks at the scale of the problems now and what's likely to happen in the future must realise we're up poo creek without a paddle unless a lot of money can be made available. It's been kicked into the long grass for 5 years who knows where we'll all be then.
K
 

dottyd

Registered User
Jan 22, 2011
1,063
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n.e.
Cost of care cap delayed until 2020

Title says it all.

Trying not to think about it as its late, need to sleep...but am furious.
 

Isabella

Registered User
Jan 4, 2014
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I wasn't surprised. But I did think it was interesting in relation to changes to inheritance tax for homeowners. This is great but only if you have a home - of course the likelihood is you'll have to sell your home to pay for care, especially without a care funding cap. The more people forced to sell their homes to pay for care, the less people will take advantage of the inheritance tax changes. Unless Ive misunderstood something?
 

jugglingmum

Registered User
Jan 5, 2014
7,085
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Chester
The inheritance tax changes don't come until next year and are stepped (don't remember the exact details) but will apply if a home was sold after 8 July 2015 - so any sales from budget day onwards can take advantage of the change is my understanding even if property note actually owned at date of death but estate is increased by it.

Estates that IHT applies to will of course be reduced by the care cap being 'delayed' for 5 years.

I understand some of the issue is the significant amount of admin, as most self funders do not currently have a SS assessment.
 

mancmum

Registered User
Feb 6, 2012
404
0
What about those that were misled by the government

I made big financial decisions on the basis of the commitment to pay for care over the cap from 2016. Where do I stand.

Some of those financial decisions people made are akin to decisions about pensions.

It stinks.
 

Kevinl

Registered User
Aug 24, 2013
6,059
0
Salford
I made big financial decisions on the basis of the commitment to pay for care over the cap from 2016. Where do I stand.

Some of those financial decisions people made are akin to decisions about pensions.

It stinks.

I take it you've made some irreversible financial decision (although I can't think what it may be, I'm a bit slow on financial matters). Isn't it worth starting a petition on the government website, if you get 10k signatures they have to bring it up in parliament.
It's a bit of a long shot but I'm sure you'd get a lots f support.
If any other financial institution changed the goalposts like this the ombudsman would be on them like a ton of bricks.
K
 

Pickles53

Registered User
Feb 25, 2014
2,474
0
Radcliffe on Trent
The inheritance tax changes don't come until next year and are stepped (don't remember the exact details) but will apply if a home was sold after 8 July 2015 - so any sales from budget day onwards can take advantage of the change is my understanding even if property note actually owned at date of death but estate is increased by it.

Estates that IHT applies to will of course be reduced by the care cap being 'delayed' for 5 years.

I understand some of the issue is the significant amount of admin, as most self funders do not currently have a SS assessment.

Only about 4% of all estates paid any inheritance tax even before the changes. I never understand why it is such a big deal when it affects so few people in practice.

On your second point, Jugglingmum, I went to a carers' event about month ago where one of the speakers was a county council manager. I specifically asked about the impact of the additional people now looking for SS assessment and the answer was that they had taken on 3 additional staff but didn't anticipate it would cause problems or additional delays. I wonder what changed in those few short weeks....
 
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