Report finds little support for means-tested care

Less than one in five people back the current system of means testing to fund social care support, according to a new report.
The Institute for Public Policy Research (ippr) and PricewaterhouseCoopers said more than half of those questioned in a survey would prefer a system of free personal care based on need.
The survey of nearly 2, 000 adults across Britain also found that nearly half of those questioned would prefer professional staff to meet their care needs, rather than friends and family.
But nearly 70 per cent said they did not feel well informed enough about how the future funding of social care could impact on their family.
The report, Expectations and Aspirations: public attitudes towards social care, revealed widespread confusion about how social care is funded, with one in five believing that services are only available as a safety net for the least well-off.
Carey Oppenheim, co-director of ippr, said: “Our research shows that there is confusion about existing provision and a substantial gap between public expectations and social care realities.”
He said the government “urgently” needed to address this gap before it asks the public to respond to its social care green paper, due to be published in June.
May