As the government releases proposals for reform of the care system, CSAN the official social action agency of the Catholic Church has expressed disappointment at the lack of detail on implementing key recommendations from the Dilnot Commission.

In the progress report accompanying the Care and Support White Paper, the government agreed in principle to the Commission’s recommendation of capping care costs to the individual and extending the means testing threshold. However no firm commitments on timing or funding were made. The Dilnot report recommends capping individual contributions at £35,000 and extending the means-testing threshold from £23,250 to £100,000.

CSAN said “Whilst the commitments to the ethos of the Dilnot report are very welcome, we are concerned that the government is delaying essential decisions on taking these forward. Thousands of older people are currently being forced to sell their assets to meet unlimited care costs and they deserve more than just vague agreements on principles.”

“We understand the significant financial implications of the recommendations, but feel this White Paper does not adequately address the urgency of the current crisis in the care system.”