Peers defeat social care challenge

Tuesday, 2 February 2010 12:00 AM

By Alex Stevenson

A former health minister's attempt to derail the government's proposals for free social care failed in the Lords last night, as consensus over the policy remains elusive.

Lord Warner served in Tony Blair's government but attacked the proposed free social care policy for those with high levels of need, which was initially announced during Gordon Brown's speech to the Labour party conference last year.

The personal care at home bill is expected to affect around 250,000 of the 500,000 elderly people receiving care in their home. It would not affect any of those already in care homes.

Opponents argue the government should concentrate its efforts on the ongoing review of social care announced in last summer's green paper.

"Many of us have considerable doubts about our ability to implement this and not let people down after the promises that have been made," Lord Warner told the Lords in yesterday's debate.

He said the costs of implementing the government's proposals were likely to exceed £1 billion and that as a result it was "unaffordable given the current state of the public finances".

"We owe it to a younger, taxpaying, working population not to impose an unaffordable financial burden on them as our population ages," he added.

"There is an inter-generational social justice issue around this area of activity and I urge the government to get back to their green paper, work with the stakeholders and the other parties and try to secure much more consensus on the funding and service reforms needed for adult social care, rather than wasting more time on this bill."

This weekend a survey from the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS) suggested the government had significantly underestimated the cost of its pledge, which was based on the calculation that personal care needs cost just £103 per person per week.

"Our research shows that local authorities have estimated a much more expensive average care package for a user with high needs," ADASS president Jenny Owen said.

"Information we have received from 61 authorities shows that the average cost of care is about £200 per week."

The bill is due to come into effect in October this year. It has already passed through its Commons stages and, after just 23 peers backed Lord Warner's amendment, will enter the Lords' committee stage on February 22nd.

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• health
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• nhs
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• social care