I fully approve of the aims of the Care Act which seeks to move service users from a position of passivity to one of empowerment. I think that the suggested care cap on residential care home fees will appease those who see their savings/assets/inheritance swallowed up by the local authority and are deeply unhappy about it (I come across many such people when I am out and about giving talks about the paying for care system, and I sympathise with their situation).
The Act promotes the ideal of giving service users access to independent legal advisors – a revolutionary and innovative move. All in all there is not much to dislike! However, there is the age old issue of funding: the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (Adass) estimates that there is a £4.3 billion funding gap. The immediate past Adass president, David Pearson, stated ‘We’ve got serious concerns about the funding for social care. The Care Act enshrines what we have long regarded as good practice but it’s only going to be realised if we have the capacity to deliver it. If we carry on like we are, there will not be enough money to provide the care and support we aspire to”. With the numbers of over-85s set to double in the 20 years we need to know that the new Conservative government is aware of the need to adequately fund the aspirational aims of this new Act.