Government selects five councils in England to implement adult social care charging reforms early

The Department of Health and Social Care has named the five local authorities in England that will implement the new adult social care charging reform system capping the cost of care.

The five authorities, selected to ensure a cross section of communities are represented, are:

• Wolverhampton
• Blackpool
• Cheshire East
• Newham
• North Yorkshire.

These authorities will put the charging reform plans in place in January 2023 ahead of a national rollout in October next year.

This includes the new lifetime cap of £86,000 on the amount anyone in England will need to spend on their personal care, “alongside a more generous means test for local authority financial support”, the DHSC said.

The Department added: “From October 2023 no-one starting to receive care will pay more than £86,000 over their lifetime, and no-one with assets of less than £20,000 will have to make any contribution from their savings or housing wealth – up from £14,250. Anyone with assets between £20,000 and £100,000 will be eligible for some means-tested support with the upper limit more than four times the current limit.”

The launch of the operational initiative is running in parallel with the ongoing Parliamentary discussions on the Health and Care Bill, which includes charging reform.

“This is necessary to make sure England is operationally ready for charging reform,” the DHSC said.