Matt Hancock is right – we must take greater responsibility for care

SIR – Well done to Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, for having the temerity to suggest that everyone should contribute to some form of insurance to cover their care in old age (report, September 17).

Although much will need to be thought through before implementation, Mr Hancock is right to suggest that we each have a personal responsibility and cannot expect the state to shoulder it.

Let us hope that this attitude catches on in other sections of society, too.

Charles Holden Micheldever, Hampshire

SIR – It is pleasing to see that the Health Secretary is fully engaged in finding solutions to the funding crisis in adult social care. It’s also a relief that the Green Paper won’t be delayed any further.

At the Orders of St John Care Trust we support the idea of every individual contributing proportionately to funding social care, much as the NHS is funded through taxation and National Insurance contributions.

The Health Secretary’s suggestion of an “opt-out” principle, as with pensions, would be a positive step, allowing individuals to make choices as to how their care would be funded. However, such a system would not be without challenges. A simpler (and cheaper) solution would be to increase National Insurance contributions.

The future of social care is an urgent and pressing concern that we must get right, for the sake of us all.

Kerry Dearden Deputy Chief Executive, Orders of St John Care Trust Witney, Oxfordshire

SIR – Which planet does Matt Hancock live on?

His proposal may at first sight seem achievable, but with care costs in some areas approaching £5,000 per month, the reality is different.

The monthly contribution required to cover these kinds of costs from a type of pension scheme would be beyond almost everyone – and what insurance company is going to take on the risk of escalating costs among an ageing population without huge premiums?

Without a realistic method of funding, the answer for most people will be to spend or divest their assets before old age and allow the state to pay for their care.

Brian Higgins Eastbourne, East Sussex

SIR – Anyone who has had to look after an elderly relative will know that social care cannot be provided primarily by hired carers, whether the state or an individual is paying. Employment law and taxation make it too costly.

We have to create an army of volunteers, and the first step must be to give the over-60s a complete tax and National Insurance exemption for providing care.

Charles Pugh London SW10