It’s important to think about how we would go about funding care for ourselves or for a loved one if something happens and circumstances change, or simply because of age-related developments (which will likely happen to us all).
Relying on the state for assistance isn’t something that you should necessarily count on, as for those of you in England you will likely only be eligible for care-related financial assistance if you have less than £23,250 in savings.
Furthermore, it’s worth making note of the fact that because of spending cuts over the last ten years or so, almost 100,000 adults have been denied government-funded social care – so you may not even receive it, even if you are eligible.
Analysis of an Institute for Government study, carried out by the Guardian, found that the number of people in England receiving subsidised care has dropped more rapidly than the disability rate, with tens of thousands now left without the same access to long-term care that they would have received 15 years ago.
Since 2010, the social care sector has been squeezed by local government budget cuts, with Institute for Fiscal Studies figures showing that core budgets for councils are now 18 per cent lower per person in real terms than they were a decade ago, with many of these cuts affecting the social care sector and resulting in an employment crisis.
Furthermore, fewer people are now being judged as needing care to ration care provisions, with more being put on short-term care plans instead of longer ones, and Westminster has also frozen the state support qualifying financial threshold since 2019, as well.
Altogether, this means that the proportion of adults receiving long-term care fell from 2.3 per cent in 2003/2004 to 1.4 per cent now… but the Guardian analysis shows that if social care had carried on rising in line with disability rates, over 98,000 more people would be on government-funded plans than actually are.
How to fund social care
To find out if you’re eligible for funding from your local council, you will need to have a care needs assessment conducted, followed by a financial assessment if it’s judged that you do need some kind of care assistance. Your contributions to your care will depend on income and savings.
If you are eligible for support from your local council, you will be given a care and support plan, setting out what your needs are, how they’ll be met and what your personal budget is.
It’s also worth investigating the various grants that are available if you need additional funding support. The Carers Trust, for example, offers a Carers Fund grant as part of a package of support, while Turn2us helps those in financial need to access welfare benefits, charitable grants, community grants and so on.
Knowing where to turn at what can be a distressing and difficult time can make a huge difference to how you’re feeling… and you can always talk to the team here at Concept Care to see how we can help, as well.
