More affordable home care would stop people selling homes to pay for care says think tank

People would not need to sell homes to pay for their care if the government made more affordable home care available in England by investing at least £5 billion upfront in home care, suggests a think tank.

The risk of paying high care costs that force people to sell their homes to pay for care in England would be significantly reduced if the government gave people more social care in their own homes and free personal care funded by general taxation, the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) has stated.

The amount of home care currently offered varies widely across different councils in England - from as low as 46 per cent in Barnsley to as high as 84 per cent in Hammersmith and Fulham. By ‘levelling up’ home care across the country and ending the postcode lottery, local authorities could save £1.1bn per year from their social care budgets.

The IPPR suggests that if every local authority in England provided enough funded home care for the public, 80,000 more care home residents could be cared for at home.

The think tank is now calling for the public to have a guaranteed right to care at home where clinically appropriate.

Author Chris Thomas, IPPR senior research fellow, said: “Everyone should have the opportunity to receive care at home, if clinically appropriate, from the first moment they need support. The care options available to you shouldn’t depend on where you happen to reside.

“We urge ministers to deliver a funded and ambitious programme to enable care in the places people call home. A community first model of social care can save money, improve care quality, and align social care support with what people who use care want.”

£5bn investment in home care

The think tank argues that government reform must include at least £5bn investment in home care capacity.

Replicating a move made by US President Biden’s administration, the IPPR recommends a £5 billion upfront investment in boosting the UK’s home care infrastructure, including rapid response teams, 24-hour support lines, home care packages and new technology to support patients and carers.

The think tank argues that ‘Where medically possible, home care is preferable to care in residential care homes or hospitals. Research has shown people strongly prefer care in their home - and that home care increases independence, enabling people to lead more fulfilling lives.

‘Where there is a lack of home care options, patients are more likely to end up occupying hospital beds without clinical justification’.

The IPPR argues the government should introduce minimum pay standards and provide more training and career progression opportunities to get well-paid, motivated and well-trained care staff.

The think tank wants to see the government increase local commissioning capacity and expertise by bringing more skilled staff into local authorities and introducing training in outcome-based social care commissioning.