Blueprint on funding elderly care aims to call halt to politicking

A blueprint for the funding of care for the elderly has been drawn up by social care experts from all political parties in an attempt to end months of political stalemate and squabbling.

Leading figures in the social care debate from Labour, the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats have signed a document of principles for a long-term solution, based on a mix of state payment and individual contributions.

It comes after weeks of bad blood between the parties and the collapse of consensus talks between Andy Burnham, the Health Secretary, and his opposite numbers, Andrew Lansley of the Conservatives and Norman Lamb of the Liberal Democrats. The Times understands that all three men are aware of the initiative and have not voiced objections. They are due to meet to discuss care plans on Wednesday.

The blueprint, published today and seen by The Times, focuses on ten principles for reform of the care system to ensure that there is enough money to cover the rising care costs faced by the country’s growing elderly population. It proposes a funding model based on contributions from the state and individuals, with the heavy financial burden of future costs shared out through general taxation or an insurance plan.

Signatories include Stephen Dorrell, the Tory former health secretary, and Lord Warner, the Labour former health minister. The document makes implicit criticism of the controversial offer by Gordon Brown of free care at home. It concludes that any system “must be predicated on choice”.

The signatories said that the blueprint, which builds on the Social Care Green Paper drawn up last year, stripped back the politicking and insubstantial proposals of recent months. It also discounts the Green Paper’s option of a comprehensive payment model — where everyone would pay a flat sum towards their care either at retirement or as a levy at death — as a starting point for reform, though such payments could be involved for contributing to an insurance scheme.

Anna Dixon, acting chief executive of The King’s Fund think-tank, said: “It is vital that a comprehensive plan for reforming social care is set out early in the next Parliament.”