Long-term care a long-term problem

Britain’s coalition government has said it agrees with the principles of the Dilnot report but needs to find the money to implement them.

In an exclusive video interview with Chris Horlick, managing director of care at Partnership, Money Management’s Aimee Steen asks if any progress has been made since the report first came out.

The estimated cost of any reform has been estimated at £2bn, but while a white paper and progress report have been issued, there has been no firm resolution on where this funding will come from.

Horlick said that some fundamental changes must be seen as progress, however, such as the addressing of the ‘postcode lottery’ for care with the introduction of a national assessment criteria for care need.

However, he says funding care is the key issue and it is that has not been addressed. “We have been told funding decisions will be put off until the next comprehensive spending review. The issue is that we do not know when that will be,” Horlick said in the interview.

In the meantime, Horlick said, those who choose to self-fund their care require access to specialist financial advice on the issue and local governments should be acting as a conduit between them and advisers to ensure this need is met.

To watch the full video, click here.

holly.black@ft.com