England should move towards a universal social care system similar to most other compatible countries, The King's Fund charity has urged.
In a report, the charity said England was a ‘stark outlier' among comparable countries in demanding people with savings and assets over £23,250 pay for all their costs.
Senior fellow at The King's Fund Simon Bottery said: 'As England moves towards creating a national care service and awaits the recommendations of the Casey Commission, there is a long-awaited opportunity to tackle the injustice faced by self-funders. The Government must not miss this chance to create a fairer care system.'
The research found only three countries -- the United States, Cyprus and Wales – operate systems similar to England.
It said there were around 137,000 'self-funders' in care homes in England and over 83,000 using home care - representing a third of care home residents and just under a quarter of home care users.
Self-funders typically pay much more than people who pass the means test and may also receive poorer care because they have to navigate a complex care system without support.
The report argued England should move towards a universal system of social care support, similar to most other comparable countries, that gives everyone who needs it some degree of publicly funded support, with users making co-payments to contribute to their care costs based on to their income and assets.
