Health bosses call for cap on bills as row over Tory plan for social care shake-up rumbles on

NHS bosses last night called for a cap on the amount people have to pay for social care.

Niall Dickson, head of the NHS Confederation, said possible bills cause “fear and anxiety” among the elderly.

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Their demands pitch them head to head with the Prime Minister, who will rip-up David Cameron’s plans to limit care costs.

Dickson added: “It’s frankly better for everyone to know what they are going to be liable for.

“A deal between the state and the individual that says ‘You are going to have to pay this but no more’ seems a fairer solution to us.”

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Under plans revealed in the Conservative manifesto, people will have to pay for their care until they have only £100,000 left in savings or assets.

Mrs May says asking wealthier OAPs to pay more was about “fairness”.

But Mr Dickson said: “Introducing a degree of certainty about how much people will be liable for has to be good.

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“Saying ‘this is how much you will be liable for’ will reduce anxiety and allow people to plan more effectively in order to deal with the possibility that this may happen.”

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said those needing long-term care could run up mammoth bills under Mrs May’s plans, which he branded a “dementia tax”.

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And Lib Dem health spokesman Norman Lamb said the elderly would “shudder” at the proposals.

Economist Sir Andrew Dilnot said OAPs will be left “completely on their own”.

Six years ago he proposed a cap of £35,000 on the amount a person would have to pay for their own care in their lifetime.

He added: “People will be left helpless; knowing that if they are unlucky enough to suffer the need for care costs they will be entirely on their own until they are down to the last £100,000 of all their wealth, including their house.”

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Mr Dickson said: “There have been a succession of promises about social care funding from different governments over the years, yet almost nothing has been done about it.

“The situation has become increasingly dire. State funded social care needs significantly more money.

“Whoever takes over has got to tackle this issue. It is not going to get easier as time goes on.”

He refused to say what he believed a reasonable cap would be, adding: “The principle is what is important.

“The affordability is something that the government will have to determine when it sets the amount.”