Millions live in fear they will be forced to put their property on the market to find enough cash for care home fees, which can be as much as £1,000 a week. But Mr Hancock, whose responsibilities include social care, said that those who have strived and saved all their lives should not be punished simply for growing old. His intervention came amid a growing row about how the social care crisis can be tackled.
I really don’t like that, I really don’t
Matt Hancock
Mr Hancock declared that the threat of losing a family home or seeing savings vanish to meet spiralling care costs was an “injustice”.
He said: “I really don’t like that, I really don’t. So I completely understand why people worry about the threat of losing their home because of something they cannot do anything about.”
His comments will be welcomed by those worried that if they need care their children will not receive an inheritance from equity built up in their homes.
The Department for Health and Social Care’s long-awaited Social Care Green Paper should provide suggestions for how to fund care, for instance, through a state-backed insurance scheme. But the Green Paper has been delayed six times.
Mr Hancock, who backs the Daily Express Respect for the Elderly Crusade, recognised the frustration the delays have caused.
He said: “It’s such an important area. The thing about social care is, to get a sustainable solution, it needs cross party
