What assessment has the Welsh Government made of the financial and operational impacts of making social care free at the point of need, with particular reference to the current weekly charge cap for domiciliary care and the capital limit for residential care?
In line with the Expert Group’s recommendations, and as our Initial Implementation Plan sets out, we will be conducting research into how best we can move towards a charging regime where most non-residential care is delivered free. It will look to understand the options around paying for care, as well as the financial and operational impacts of care which is free at the point of need. This research is due to be completed by the end of December 2026.
Following a consultation on raising the weekly maximum charge for adult non-residential care and support, a written statement was published on 6 December 2024.
The capital limit used in local authority charging for residential care was set at the current limit of £50,000 in April 2019. Wales currently has the highest capital limit for residential care in the UK. We also have a single limit, which protects all of the capital a person holds at or below £50,000.