Will the island follow the Jersey model for the funding of long term care?

Tynwald this month unanimously gave CoMin the go-ahead to examine options to reform the future funding of nursing and residential care.

Many residents are worried about the costs of paying for residential and nursing care - and believe it’s unfair they may have to sell their homes to fund it.

Tynwald rejected a call by LibVan leader Kate Beecroft for an island-wide universal insurance scheme to cover care costs.

Introducing a fairer system is a complex issue but Jersey grasped the nettle in 2014.

One of the key features of Jersey’s Long Term Care scheme is that it provides support for homeowners so that they are not forced to sell the family home to meet care costs.

Since its introduction, almost all Jersey residents are eligible for help with the cost of their care.

You have to have lived there for 10 years without a break to be eligible.

A cap of £52,150 is set to limit your exposure to very high costs. Below that figure you would pay the standard care costs yourself but once you have reached the cap, the state covers the costs, whatever your income or assets.

It does not matter how much your care actually costs or how much you pay yourself, your care costs will always increase towards the cap at the standard care cost for your care level.

Those standard care costs, in a care home or in your own home, vary from £359.52 to £997.50 per week depending on care needs.

If your total assets are worth less than £419,000 you do not have to use any of these to pay towards your standard care costs.

Individuals are also able to purchase care at a higher total cost and make up the difference themselves.

Under the scheme, support is also given towards costs below the cap level if you cannot afford to meet them from your income and assets.

In some circumstances, property loans are also available to support either or both of the standard costs and additional costs.

Public funding is provided through Jersey’s social security department. Care homes are there run by parish, private and charitable organisations and set their own fees.

Policy and Reform Minister Chris Thomas told Tynwald that Jersey has received praise for delivering welfare reform. He said the specific capital and co-payment values used in the Jersey scheme but it was well worth studying.