Families shouldering ‘imbalance’ of paying social care costs, says Wes Streeting

By David Lynch, Reporter7th January 2025News EnglandAdult Care, Business / Funding / Finance, Care Homes, Government / Politics, Home Care, News England, Social Care

Individuals are shouldering an “imbalance” in paying for social care, Wes Streeting said as he was confronted about the sums one family is facing.

The Health Secretary (pictured) has faced criticism in recent days for not giving a hard deadline on his plans to create a National Care Service, aimed at tackling the massive costs of social care.

An independent commission is expected to begin exploring the future of the service in the spring, but its timeline means proposals for the long-term funding and major reform of social care in England may not be delivered until 2028.

As he took questions from LBC radio listeners, a woman from Leeds told the Health Secretary she is paying £85,000 a year to provide care for her 97-year-old mother, who has dementia.

Family savings and the proceeds from selling her mother’s home are swiftly being eroded, the caller told Mr Streeting.

“It sounds really terrible, but sometimes I even find myself wishing that my mum would pass away soon, before it’s all gone and the family is left with absolutely nothing. And it shouldn’t be about money, but unfortunately, it is,” she said.

The caller added: “I want to know, when will something be done to stop this happening? And I need a real answer, not just the sort of ‘we get it, we have no money’ kind of answer.”

Mr Streeting described the sums as “eye-watering”, adding: “I think that where we’ve got to as a country is a situation where I think the burden on individuals and families and the state is imbalanced, and it’s almost a game of pot luck and chance.”

He defended the long-term nature of his plans to overhaul social care, and said a consensus with other political parties is needed because “politics has torpedoed good ideas” in the past.

Mr Streeting said his proposed independent commission, led by Baroness Louise Casey, would be “so much more about the how” of funding a new care service, adding: “The evidence base is important, but it’s about action. It’s about action during this parliament.”