Cost of free social care

Prime Minister Gordon Brown used his conference speech to announce free home care for those "in highest need" if Labour won the general election.

The government has estimated the plan will cost an additional £670m annually, with councils expected to contribute £250m through efficiency savings.

If £670m is split between the 350,000 people Labour estimates would become entitled to free care, this equates to £37 per person per week. The actual distribution of this money is impossible to predict because of the range of different payments made by partial and full self-funders.

The DH also acknowledges there are "probably more" people who meet the criteria for free care but are unknown to the system.

A source close to the prime minister told LGC new council responsibilities would be compensated for by removing existing work on a "one in, one out" basis.

But Association of Directors of Adult Social Services president Jenny Owen warned: "The savings we’re having to find are just to balance the bottom line. This will create enormous pressures because we’ll have to save more.

"We’d have to work very carefully with the Department of Health to understand how this is calculated. If you ask detailed questions, this starts to unravel."

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