Boris Johnson Faces Fury Over Postponed Meeting to Fix Social Care System

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson is said to be finalizing a plan to fix the social care system. However, a crucial meeting on social care reform with the government's most senior ministers, scheduled for Tuesday, has been postponed because proposals have not been agreed upon.

Johnson, Chancellor Rishi Sunak, and Health Secretary Matt Hancock were scheduled to meet to propose a solution to soaring social care costs, but it has been postponed. After becoming Prime Minister, Johnson declared that he had a clear strategy to address social care problems once and for all.

Proposals on social care reform remain contentious

There is still no agreement between the Treasury and Downing Street on what the plans should be and how the costs of social care should be paid. No final decisions or announcements are expected soon. Cross-party negotiations on social care changes would take place only after the plans have been announced, restricting the participation of other parties early on, according to Downing Street.

"When we set out our proposals, we will set out our path forward from that point," the Prime Minister's official spokesperson stated at a press briefing, The Daily Telegraph reported.

The Prime Minister has pledged to provide a plan to fix the social care system by the end of the year. One of the plans considered is a £50,000 cap ($69,597.25) on costs to prevent families from selling their properties to pay for care. However, it would force the Treasury, which is already cash-strapped, to find billions of money each year. The newest gaffe is "very upsetting" for hundreds of families facing mounting care home expenses, said Jeremy Hunt, the ex-Health Secretary, and the Health Select Committee Chairman, as per The Sun.

There are concerns that Red Wall Tories may protest over a flat-rate healthcare cost ceiling, which some describe as a new poll tax. Someone living in a £150,000 ($208,791.75) Doncaster property would pay the same as someone living in a £2 ($2.78) million London property. Instead, they are quietly asking the Prime Minister to impose a ceiling based on a proportion of an individual's assets.

Families face huge annual payments on social care

Hunt urged Boris Johnson today to put Treasury concerns aside and find the billions required to pay a ceiling on health-care prices. The severity of the problem was highlighted last night as disturbing new figures revealed that thousands of needy families face crippling annual payments of £35,000.

Per Daily Mail, the average fee for residential property was £672 ($935.39) weekly in 2019 and 2020, up 3% from the previous year, and 29% more than in 2011 and 2012. Dementia patients have considerably less to pass on to their offspring due to the high expenditures, which frequently necessitate the sale of the family house.

Because the average length of stay in care homes is two years, a limit of this amount would benefit tens of thousands of individuals. On the other hand, the Chancellor is concerned about the expenses, which may reach £10 ($13.92) billion each year. He also stated that Tory governments should not undertake anything that would force a tax rise on individuals.

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