Minister rules out free care for elderly

The Government ruled out proposals for free care for the elderly yesterday, sparking outrage from campaigners who accused Gordon Brown of adopting a short-sighted approach to one of the country's most pressing social problems.

Launching a consultation on reforms to cope with the mounting cost of caring for the elderly, the Government was accused of making the process redundant by refusing to discuss one of campaigners' key demands. Neil Duncan-Jordan, a spokesman for the National Pensioners Convention, said: "I have just heard Ivan Lewis [the Health minister] ruling out the status quo and giving people social care for free. So much for a full consultation process."

The Prime Minister warned yesterday that England was facing a £6bn funding black hole of social care for the elderly, and said it was "essential" those people who worked hard and saved for retirement were treated fairly.

One of the options being actively considered in Whitehall is for the Government to match every £1 spent on social care by individuals with £1 from the taxpayer.

But Mr Brown warned there was "no easy solution". "Of course, helping relatives is a challenge that most families rise to – however difficult it becomes," he told a meeting of leaders in the social care field held in central London. "But that doesn't make it any easier. Nor does it remove family worries about providing physical care that is needed – or take away people's concerns that, at some point in the future, they may have to sell a treasured home to pay for their own care."

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