Plan for levy for social care for the elderly overdue

A compulsory levy would be introduced to create a universal system of social care for adults in England, under plans to be unveiled by ministers. They will call for a new commission to look at when and how the fee should be applied, and how much it should be. It is widely agreed the current means-tested system needs reform because of the ageing population. A compulsory charge is opposed by the Conservatives, who called one proposal for a levy on estates a death tax. The subject is now likely to become a key issue during the election campaign. Demands for care have been rising as people live longer, and costs have been ballooning. Some councils have already started to limit access to support to those with the most severe needs. The result is that many elderly people living at home have been left to fend for themselves or rely on the help of family and friends for assistance with washing, eating and dressing. Thousands of people have also been forced to sell family homes to pay for residential care. The government put forward three funding options for a new system last summer. The options all involved the state providing a basic level of funding, which could be topped up by personal contributions, an insurance scheme or a compulsory fee. The government consulted widely on the proposals, with many charities and social care chiefs backing a compulsory charge as the best way to raise the money needed to sustain the system. But cross-party talks in recent months have failed to reach a consensus. The Conservatives are adamant people should not be compelled to pay, and instead back a voluntary insurance scheme. One of the suggestions – a compulsory charge, perhaps as much as £20,000, which could be taken from a person’s estate after death – was dubbed a “death tax” by the Tories. Alistair Darling appeared to reject the “death tax” during the chancellors debate on Channel 4 on Monday night. However, Health Secretary Andy Burnham will say in Parliament on Tuesday that he still favours a compulsory levy of some sort as he unveils a white paper on the issue. He will suggest an independent group of experts be appointed to look at exactly how such a fee could be applied. He hailed the policy as “a momentous decision” that would provide a universal system of care for the first time. As an interim measure, the government has already said it would provide free care to people in their own homes with the most severe needs. People who have been in care homes for more than two years will get their care for free. This will happen from 2014, Mr Burnham is set to say later. The government expects that a new system would take more than the lifetime of the next parliament – perhaps 2016 – to be introduced fully. Shadow health secretary Andrew Lansley accused ministers of still wanting a death tax but just delaying the decision for a few years. He said charging everyone for social care was “unfair on the people who meet their caring responsibilities” – families caring for elderly relatives at home. Councillor David Rogers, of the Local Government Association, said: “We need a new system and that will inevitably be a combination of tax revenue and individual contributions in some form. “The next government must sort this out.” Norman Lamb, the Liberal Democrats’ health spokesman, said the parties needed to work together to agree the future of social care funding. “We should sit down together after the election, accepting that we need to raise more money and arguing the case for a partnership between the state and the individual. “Seeking consensus is the right approach but that will only work if the cross-party commission is free to consider all ways of funding social care, not just Labour’s preferred policy. The commission should report within a year so changes can be implemented straight away,” he said.

A soldier blinded by a grenade in Iraq has had his life transformed by ground-breaking technology that enables him to ’see’ with his tongue.

Lance Corporal Craig Lundberg, 24, from Walton, Liverpool, lost his sight while serving in Bascra in 2007.

Today he revealed he can identify shapes, walk around unaided and even read the paper.

 The Liverpool fan, who plays blind football for England, was faced with the prospect of relying on a guide dog or cane for the rest of his life after he was injured.

But he was chosen by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to be the first person to trial the BrainPort device, which could revolutionise treatment for the blind.

The BrainPort converts visual images into a series of electrical pulses which are sent to the tongue. The different strength of the tingles can be read or interpreted so the user can mentally visualise their surroundings and navigate around objects.

The device is comprised of a tiny video camera attached to a pair of sunglasses which are linked to a plastic ‘lolly pop’ which the user places on their tongue to read the electrical pulses.

L/Cpl Lundberg explained: ‘It feels like popping candy. The camera sends signals down onto the lolly pop and onto your tongue, you can then determine what they mean and transfer it to shapes.

‘You get lines and shapes of things, it sees in black and white so you get a two dimensional image on your tongue, it’s a bit like a pins and needles sensation.

‘It’s only a prototype, but the potential to change my life is massive, it’s got a lot of potential to advance things for blind people.

‘One of the things it has enabled me to do is pick up objects straight away, I can reach out and pick them up when before I would be fumbling around to feel for them thanks to a pioneering device.

Mobility scooter users could be required to take a ‘fitness to drive’ test and take out motor insurance in the future.

A three-month consultation on the matter considered issues such as weight limits, training, fitness to drive, insurance and registration, according to transport minister Sadiq Khan.

“The review also made some key recommendations: that vehicle users should have third party insurance; that a simple fitness to drive assessment be developed; and that vehicle users should receive more advice and training in the use of mobility vehicles,” he said.

He added that the proposed changes will be aimed at making mobility scooters safer on footpaths and carriageways.

The review found that there may now be up to 330,000 people who have access to a mobility scooter.

According to Disabled Travel Advice, insurance policies for mobility scooters are likely to cover the cost of repairing or replacing a scooter in the event of an accident and even a breakdown service to ensure people get home safe if their scooter breaks down.