“We welcome this first modest step towards solving the crisis in England’s care system by having a £75,000 cap on the amount an individual will have to pay and increasing the threshold for means testing. RNIB recognises Ministers could have kicked this issue into the long grass.
“However, since 2005 the number of blind and partially sighted adults receiving social care services has dropped by 36 per cent, compared to an average 16 per cent drop for all adults (1).
“Our concerns about the discrepancies in eligibility criteria and the postcode lottery of care provision that this creates have not been addressed. And the cap is a red herring for most blind and partially sighted people as it is set at too high a price to make a meaningful difference to their lives.
“The biggest issue that the Government hasn’t addressed is the chronic under-funding that means the care available from councils is far outstripped by local demand. Until we have clarity that spending on social care will keep up with need, we won’t see any significant improvements for blind and partially sighted people in the short or long term.”
