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Prime Minister Brown's vow to make social care for the elderly fairer and more affordable has been applauded by Symponia , the national affinity group for care fees planning and financial advice for people over 65. The Prime Minister's speech marks the end of a six month public consultation focussed on the future of social care in Britain and puts care for the elderly at the top of Britain's political agenda.

Tim Anstee, Partner at The Wealth Care Partnership, a care fees consultancy and local Symponia member responds :

“The case for the reform of social care in the UK cannot be overstated. At last, the Government is being proactive in addressing the dire need for a fairer funding system that will help to alleviate the terrible distress and anxiety suffered by millions of families every year as they face the implications of placing an elderly relative in a care home. Dismantling a person's life will never be an easy process, but the added financial worries, which often include the selling of the family home, can be extremely upsetting.

“Without radical reform, ministers are projecting a £6bn shortfall in England alone in twenty years' time. Under the current system an awful lot of people risk losing their entire lifetime's financial achievements, which, given the dramatic social changes and hard struggles they have witnessed throughout their lives is totally unacceptable.

“Even in Scotland, the system is not clear. Contrary to popular belief (and political rhetoric), Scotland does have - and implements - a means-tested system, although people with assets outside the thresholds do receive weekly contribution towards their personal care (£149) and a separate payment for nursing care (£67).”

“Symponia believes that the system can be improved in a number of ways, including:

•  The creation of a greater parity throughout the UK.

•  Increasing the current upper means test threshold limit to a realistic level of £100,000, this
   will reflect the “real” cost of an average house in the UK, which is the one specific and hugely
   emotive fact behind the current unfairness.

•  Encourage younger people to plan for (or at least be aware of) the future. Placing a relative in a
   care home is often about crisis management. If people had the luxury of time to plan ahead and
   establish a cost effective, stable and genuinely reassuring insurance style plan (or even a plan
   of action) the immediate aftermath and financial crisis could be averted.

    -  The time is right for a mini revolution in the future care fees planning market. Several
       companies are already facing into the wind and want to be in a position to make a real
       difference.

    -  We have learned from the plans of the past, and all new policies need to need to be “future
       proof” and do exactly what it says on the tin.

    -  The government can help by providing an additional incentive, for instance, tax relief on
       premiums or a reworking of the 1996 conservation proposal of a “ring fenced/pound-pound”
       system.

“However, blame cannot lie with the government alone and as citizens we must place some of the blame on ourselves. We have not revered our elderly enough in the past and our perceived busy lifestyles have created the need for care homes in the first place, which is an alien concept to many other countries; in Greece for instance, care homes don't exist. So until we encourage younger people to view older, poorly people as a worthwhile member of the neighbourhood, perhaps by visiting care homes on a regular basis, our elderly and vulnerable citizens will always receive the thin end of the wedge.”

Mr Anstee concludes: “In the meantime, the need for clear, accessible and expert financial advice has never been greater. As a responsible and ethical group, Symponia is currently in dialogue with other groups engaged in care for the elderly and we will be announcing a new initiative shortly that will make a tangible difference to families facing the dilemma of funding the care needs for elderly relatives.”