HOW THE SYSTEM WORKS...AND SOME SOLUTIONS TO IT

CURRENT, MEANS-TESTED SYSTEM

At the moment, access to care is “means-tested” so people can only have it paid for if they have less than £23,250 in savings or property. People who have more must pay for their own care.

This limit is set by the Government but it has not been changed since 2010/11.

The care varies – from helping adults with learning disabilities get out into the community, to looking after older people with dementia in care homes. But it is only provided to those most in need.

‘DILNOT’ CAP APPROACH

This idea – proposed by a 2011 commission led by economist Sir Andrew Dilnot – aims to limit the amount people pay for care in their lifetimes.

Under the model, the current £23,250 savings limit is raised to £100,000, which means more people would get their care costs paid for, but their needs would still have to be very high in order to qualify.

For those who have to pay for their own care, the model sets a cap on how much they spend over their lifetime. Once they reach that maximum limit, their care costs would be met by the Government.

FREE PERSONAL CARE

Under this model, which was first introduced in Scotland in 2002, anyone in the country with high enough needs, can get free personal care in their own homes. This includes help with basics like washing and dressing.

And that applies to everybody in the country, no matter how much money they have managed to save or how much property they own.

However, this system does not cover services such as cleaning and shopping, says the Scottish Government.

Anyone who needs to go into a care home gets help towards the fees but has to pay most of the costs themselves.

SOCIAL INSURANCE

The words “social insurance” only really tell you how this money is raised, not how it is spent. The system is used in countries including Japan, Germany and France.

Under this model, the money for care is raised by a special, dedicated tax paid by individuals and employers.

In some of the countries that use it, everybody pays the tax unless they are on very low incomes. But in Japan only people aged over 40 have to pay it.

The way the money is spent also varies from country to country.

But, typically, people who need support get a contribution towards the cost of their care – or the full amount if they have a low income and savings.