Social care

From death tax to fair funding

Does the Conservatives U-turn on inheritance tax suggest that society is ready to change its attitudes to wealth taxes after death? If so, we need to know how much can be raised and come up with an optimal design Read more...

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Care funding: read the small print

Today’s announcements on care funding are a small step forward. But they offer less than first appears, and duck the issue of how much society should spend on long-term care Read more

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Care costs: short-changed on Dilnot

Capping long-term care costs at £75,000 betrays the spirit and the letter of the Dilnot proposals. Only a handful of older people stand to gain Read more

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Winter fuel discontents

Means-testing winter fuel payments to pay for Dilnot’s social care plans sounds like a no-brainer. Actually it would be a seriously regressive move

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Social care’s fiscal cliff

Social care services are teetering on the brink of cutting services to vulnerable people in need.  The new Health Secretary’s warm words on integration needs to be matched by adequate funding Read more

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Who cares about the care workers?

The pay and working conditions of our predominantly female care workforce are already a national scandal. Cuts to council budgets can only make matters worse  Read more

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Social care: the case for compulsory savings

People are not putting enough money aside for their old age. Some form of compulsion needs to be deployed to ensure people save what they need to cover their care costs

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‘Death taxes’ and delays: no way to finance social care

The government should create some certainty about the level of finance available for social care costs, and redistribute funding  away from wealthier older people Read more

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Social care: it’s a jungle out there

The big beasts of politics have once again ducked the crucial issues around funding in today’s social care white paper Read more

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A spending review for our time

The Treasury has confirmed that there will be a spending review in 2013. Will it be strategic and forward-looking – or just about more cuts? Read more

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