Most people back tax increase for social care, new study reveals - Alzheimer’s Society comment

Three out of four members of the public surveyed said they would back higher taxes for social care, with just 7% of those polled said they would oppose tax rises. The study also suggested that two thirds of people believe social care is in a poor state. 

Sally Copley, Director of Campaigns and Policy at Alzheimer’s Society, said:

'It is abundantly clear that the public are increasingly concerned about the dementia care crisis and want to see action to fix dementia care. 

'The survey backs up the results of our own polling - which found that more than half those asked are in support of increased income tax to pay for care.

'The public are ready to make tough decisions about where the money should come from to ensure there is no longer a financial lottery when it comes to accessing social care.'

'Every day we wait for Government action, hundreds of thousands of people with dementia and their families face the realities of a broken system. The Prime Minister should take heed of the public’s willingness to find a solution and come forward with a sustainable plan to fix this crisis. Until a longer term solution is found, we need immediate investment in an NHS Dementia Fund to address the devastating costs people with dementia are facing – if the NHS doesn’t have the resources it needs, the government needs to make funding available.'