SIR - Comments from NHS England Chief Executive Simon Stevens this week have reignited conversations about social care funding. While I welcome debate ahead of the long-awaited publication of the social Green Paper, we must recognise that not all older people are sitting on vast amounts of wealth which can be sold off.
It is important that we don’t divert attention away from the government, whose responsibility it is to find a sustainable social care system that works for all - current older people and future older generations, including those without assets. Anchor’s statistics show that 56per cent of those over the age of 70 think the government is failing on social care.
We must future-proof social care. A third of millennials are unlikely to ever own their own home – so relying on people selling their homes to fund their care is by no means a complete solution. The Green Paper's proposals cannot overlook this fact.
It is time for the government to act, ensuring there is sufficient funding for an integrated and efficient health and social care system that provides the highest quality of care for all.
Jane Ashcroft, Chief Executive of Anchor, care and housing provider for older people
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