Sir Andrew Dilnot, the former public‑policy expert who first put forward a plan for an NHS‑style social care system fifteen years ago, warned on Thursday that the cost of such a scheme would be “very substantial” and that its implementation could stretch over several decades.
Dilnot’s original proposals, unveiled in the early 2000s, called for a universal, tax‑funded model that would integrate health and social care services in a manner similar to the National Health Service. At the time, the ideas sparked debate over how to address the growing demand for long‑term care among an ageing population.
According to Dilnot, the financial implications of adopting a comparable model today are far greater than initially projected. He emphasized that the scale of funding required would be “very substantial”, reflecting both rising care costs and the need for extensive infrastructure upgrades.
He added that even if political consensus were reached, the rollout of a new, unified system would likely take many years – potentially decades – to fully replace the existing patchwork of means‑tested and local authority‑run services.
The comments come amid ongoing discussions in the United Kingdom about how to reform a social care system that currently relies heavily on personal contributions and local government budgets, a structure that critics say leaves many vulnerable adults without adequate support.
<small>Source: BBC Health — read the original story there.</small>
