On Monday 11th February the Government finally set out their response to Andrew Dilnot’s Commission on funding long-term care. This includes introducing a £75,000 cap on the amount people will have to pay for social care during their lifetimes, starting in 2017.

This would be a small step forward for some people who need residential care. However, I am concerned it will not help people with modest homes or do anything for the hundreds of thousands of elderly and disabled people who are facing a desperate daily struggle to get the care and support they need right now.

More than £1.3 billion has been cut from local council budgets for older people’s social care since the Coalition came to power. As a result, many vulnerable people can’t get the support they need and are having to pay more for vital services. We need a far bigger and bolder response to meet the needs of our ageing population: a genuinely integrated NHS and social care system which helps older people stay healthy and living independently in their own homes for as long as possible. This is what Labour’s policy review will address.

You can read media coverage of the Government’s announcement, and my response here, here and here.