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<p>Access to State financial support for adult social care in England is means-tested
and is not generally provided free of charge. In this way, individuals are expected
to pay towards the cost of their care and support based on what they can afford.</p><p>
</p><p>Adults with less than £23,250 in capital can seek help with the cost of social
care from their local authority. Local authorities carry out a financial assessment
to decide what an individual can afford to pay. Local authorities must take account
of an individual's capital assets and income, including income from Benefits and the
State Pension.</p><p> </p><p>Information on the cost to local authorities of carrying
out financial assessments is not collected centrally.</p><p> </p><p>In its 2011 report,
the independent Palliative Care Funding Review recommended the provision of free social
care at the end of life. A series of palliative care funding pilots were established
to test the review's recommendations, and these completed their work in March 2014.
NHS England is currently analysing the financial data collected from the pilots. Once
this analysis has been completed, a decision will be made on the issue of free social
care at the end of life, taking into account this analysis and wider policy and financial
considerations.</p><p> </p><p> </p>
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