Families owe more than £200m in care home bills – but they may have to be paid back by selling their loved ones’ properties.
A deferred payment agreement (DPA) is an arrangement where the local authority pays care fees, and the individual can delay repaying until they sell their home or die.
The Government has vowed to announce a plan for social care – and promised in its 2019 manifesto that nobody needing care should be forced to sell their home to pay for it.
With a postcode lottery in access to DPAs – as well as huge variations in interest rates and admin charges – charities say reform is needed in how we pay for old age care.
Currently, people have to fund their own care if they have over £23,250 worth of assets, unless they qualify for medical care.
Across England, there were around 6,575 DPAs in place on March 31 2020, with a value of £231.4m, according to figures from NHS Digital.
The number of DPAs has risen from around 6,380 at the same date in 2019, and the amount owed has increased from £213.4m.
The figures don’t cover everyone who has sold…
