Almost a quarter of older people who are legally entitled to a free care home space are facing hidden charges, the study carried out by Age UK suggested. The report warns that the payments represented a “stealth tax” on older people and their families in a care system “that seems to be riddled with hidden unfairness”. Across the UK, about 48,400 older people, amounting to 24% of council-funded care home residents, were paying top-up fees ranging from £25 a week to more than £100 a week for families. The charity had dealt with more than 250 cases in the past year involving top-up fees, it added. “This is hugely unfair and it’s yet another reason why the government must live up to its commitment to consult on new proposals on social care later this year.”The shadow social care minister, Barbara Keeley, said: “This Tory government’s policy of savage cuts to local authority funding has meant £4.6bn has been cut from social care budgets since 2010, leaving little more than a threadbare safety net.

Source: The Guardian July 27, 2017 06:00 UTC