Alzheimer's Society responds to details on cap on care costs in upcoming social care plan

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James White, Head of Public Affairs and Campaigns at Alzheimer’s Society, said:

'While we had welcomed the Government’s decision to cure the care system after decades of neglect, the cap on care costs is still worryingly high with only one in five people with dementia estimated to ever reach the proposed cap limit. The devil’s in the detail with the exclusion of major costs hitting the less well off.

Any progress here feels like two steps forwards, one step back – social care is sadly still an afterthought, playing second fiddle to our NHS.

'It’s social care, not the NHS, people with dementia have to rely on daily. The funding of care should be spread between all of us in society – just like the NHS and other public services.

'People with dementia are on their knees – finding care difficult to access, costly, inadequate and deeply unfair – the Government must inject enough cash to improve quality and make this a system we all want to grow old in.

'There’s a historic opportunity to set this right, we encourage the Government to properly grasp the nettle – while dementia isn’t curable yet, the care system is.'