Three-quarters of the public are prepared to pay 1p extra on income tax
in order to fund better and fairer care for older people, according to a
YouGov survey published in September. An additional 1p in the pound on
income tax would raise £2 billion, which would pay for 80% of all care
home fees and for domiciliary care, according to JRF research.
The survey was commissioned by national charity
Counsel and Care and Lawpack Publishing Ltd, to accompany the
publication of their book, Caring for loved ones in old age, and the
launch of the first ever ElderCare Week (3-9 September 2007).
When asked ‘would you be prepared to pay 1p extra
on your income tax to fund better and fairer care for older people?’,
75% of those surveyed said that they would. The 55+ age group showed the
greatest support at 82%, and the 45–54 age group – often known as the
‘sandwich generation’ who care for both children and ageing relatives -
were the next highest at 77%.
Two-thirds of people think that the cost of care
for older people should be government funded, with a quarter saying it
should be means tested. Those in the 18-24 and 25-34 old age groups are
more in favour of means testing.
The survey reveals that 42% think that care and
support services for older people are worse compared with five years
ago, with only 13% thinking they are improving. Among the 55+ age group,
54% say that services are worsening. This confirms Counsel and Care’s
recent survey of local authorities which highlighted the widening care
gap as councils restrict the number of older people eligible for care
services.
The survey also found that a quarter of 45-54 year
olds do not know where to find advice and information on care for older
people – even though this age group is most likely to be helping ageing
parents with care.
The YouGov survey supports our view that urgent
action needs to be taken on the funding of long term care, and that the
public is willing to participate. Clearly the public want better care
for our ageing population.
If we can develop a co-payment option that is a
true partnership between the state, the family and the individual, we
can move towards a fairer system of paying for care in the future. That
is the challenge for the government in its spending review this autumn
and beyond.
What is also critical for the Caring Choices
coalition is winning support across all ages and generations if we are
to end the underfunding of care and support for older people.
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Caring for Loved Ones in Old Age is available price £9.99 from good bookshops.