UK should reform LTC

A new model for the funding of long-term care for older people is needed in the UK, delegates at the Actuarial Profession’s Health and Care Conference in Glasgow heard. University of Birmingham’s Health Services Management Centre co-director Jon Glasby said the current system in the UK places an unfair burden on individuals. Professor Glasby said alternative methods of funding long-term care need to be considered, including compulsory long-term care insurance. He also said that the government should consider abolishing long-term care fees and drawing on the value of homes through equity release schemes. The UK government is due to publish a green paper on care and support this year. “There is the risk that we retain the status quo, with a few tweaks, but I believe the existing system needs a radical overhaul to fund long-term care for older people. It is a fundamental personal and political issue that is at stake and we really need to think and talk about where we may go next,” Professor Glasby said. He also criticised the existing system that distinguishes between people who are sick and entitled to free care and people who are disabled or suffering from illnesses such as Alzheimer’s and have to pay for a care home.