Jeremy Hunt unveils plans to fund social care by encouraging people to save money earlier in life

Tory leadership candidate says he sees reforming social care system as 'unfinished business' from his time as health secretary

Jeremy Hunt has set out new plans to fund social care by encouraging people to save money earlier in their life.

The foreign secretary and Conservative leadership contender said he saw reforming the care system as “unfinished business” from his time as health secretary.

Mr Hunt said that as prime minister he would promise to cap the cost of social care and ensure that no one is forced to sell their home to pay for care, although he did not say where the cap would be set.

His four-point plan includes encouraging people to save for the cost of social care in the same way as they do for their pensions.

If he beats Boris Johnson in the race to be the next prime minister, Mr Hunt said he would draw up a 10-year funding plan that would include more government funding for local councils, although he did not say how much, and would better integrate health and social care services.

He said the government should also do more to support carers, including using the tax system to reward families who care for elderly relatives – for example, by offering tax breaks for home modifications.

Mr Hunt’s team said that as health secretary he had successfully argued for responsibility for social care to be brought under the control of his department, but had been moved to his current position before being able to reform the system.

They said that, as prime minister, he would agree to demands made by local council leaders earlier this week for the social care green paper, which has been delayed multiple times, to be published within the first 100 days of the new government.

Mr Hunt said: “Britain is known throughout the world for its compassion and decency, and I want to lead a government that walks the talk on that. That’s why guaranteeing older people dignity and respect in their final years is unfinished business for me.

“I famously refused to move from health because I passionately believed we needed a long-term plan and funding settlement for the NHS.

I fought hard for the same for social care – putting money into health without social care is too often like running bath water without the plug in – but in the end it was a stretch too far for the Treasury to commit any more than the £20bn I won for the NHS.

“If Conservatives stand for anything it has to be dignity and security for our elderly generation as their lives draw to a close. The level of loneliness and isolation amongst old people across this country is nothing short of a national scandal. I want to bring health and social care together, and back those unsung heroes caring for their own family members for free.”

In a dig at his rival Boris Johnson‘s promise during the 2016 referendum campaign that the NHS could get £350m a week more funding after Brexit, he added: “

Others campaigned for £350m a week for the NHS, but I actually delivered it, and I will deliver for our elderly generation too.”

Mr Hunt’s announcement came as the leader of Britain’s biggest trade union warned that the social care system was a “ticking timebomb”.

Speaking at a conference in Bournemouth, Dave Prentis, general secretary of Unison, said: “There is no easy fix for local government – if there was we’d have found it by now. But the most pressing concern is easily social care. The sector is in crisis and the elderly, vulnerable and those with the greatest needs are being badly let down.

“From 15-minute visits to no training for staff, and some of the worst employment conditions I have witnessed in years, care workers juggle the complex demands of those they care for.

“Many do so without payment for their travel and others have seen their pay for sleep-in shifts cuts. And yet it’s possible to earn more on the till in Tesco than racing from one client to the next. It’s no wonder so many care workers are always tired and exhausted, left feeling guilty that there’s simply no time to care.

“But ensuring decent care, decent conditions and better pay is only half the problem. Funding and the hidden structure behind many care companies – based on short-term property portfolios, not the longevity of provision – is quite simply a ticking timebomb for the nation’s future.”