Social care
The nutshell
Social care is the everyday help some adults need, such as washing, dressing, eating or moving around. Unlike the NHS, it is not free for everyone, so a council checks each person's savings and income to work out who pays.
Every fact on this page comes from official government and parliamentary sources and non-partisan research. Each source tag — like GOV— opens where a fact comes from.
The basics
What social care is
Social care is the everyday help some adults need to live well. That can mean help with washing, dressing, eating, taking medicine or moving around the home. It is different from health care. The NHS treats illness, while social care supports daily life. Getting help usually starts with a needs assessment by the local council, which works out what support a person needs.GOV
Not free like the NHS
The NHS is free for everyone at the point of use. Social care is not. It is means-tested, which means a council looks at each person's savings and income to decide who pays.HoC After the needs assessment, the council carries out a financial assessment, sometimes called a means test.NHS A person with the lowest savings may pay nothing, while others pay part or all of the cost.
Who pays, and the £23,250 line
In England, savings are the key test. The council generally helps to pay for care when a person has savings below £23,250. A person with savings above £23,250 pays the full cost of care.NHS Two savings limits set the rules, £14,250 and £23,250, and both have stayed the same since 2010/11.HoC
Different across the UK
There is no single UK system for social care. Each nation sets its own rules. Scotland provides free personal care for eligible adults, while England, Wales and Northern Ireland use a means test.NT So the cost of similar care can be very different depending on the nation.
- Getting help usually starts with a free needs assessment by the local council, which works out what support a person needs before any cost is discussed (GOV.UK)
- The council generally helps to pay for care when a person has savings below £23,250 in England (NHS)
- Where care is free depends on the nation. Scotland provides free personal care for eligible adults (Nuffield Trust)
- Social care is not free for everyone like the NHS. In England, a person with savings above £23,250 pays the full cost of care (House of Commons Library)
- The two savings limits in England, £14,250 and £23,250, have stayed the same since 2010/11 (House of Commons Library)
- There is no single UK system. England, Wales and Northern Ireland use a means test, while Scotland does not for personal care (Nuffield Trust)
The deep end6 min
Health care and social care are not the same
People often mix up the NHS and social care, but the two run as separate systems. The NHS treats illness and is free at the point of use. Social care covers everyday support, such as help with washing, dressing, eating and moving around, and is arranged mainly by local councils. Getting help starts with a needs assessment by the council, which works out what support a person needs before any cost is discussed.GOV
Why social care is means-tested
Unlike the NHS, social care in England is means-tested. A financial assessment, or means test, works out whether the council will pay towards a person's care.NHS The test looks at savings and income. The House of Commons Library records that a person with capital above the upper limit of £23,250 must pay the full cost of care, while capital below the lower limit of £14,250 is fully disregarded. Both limits have stayed at the levels set in 2010/11.HoC
A means test after a needs assessment
Two steps decide help in England. First the council carries out a needs assessment to work out what care a person needs.GOV Then, for people who are eligible, the council carries out a financial assessment to work out who pays and how much.NHS A person with savings below £23,250 may get help from the council, and a person with savings above that line pays the full cost of care.NHS
Four nations, four systems
Social care is run separately in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and the rules differ. The Nuffield Trust records that Scotland provides free personal care for eligible adults, while England, Wales and Northern Ireland use a means test. In England, a person with assets above £23,250 gets no state help with care costs.NTAs a result, care that is free in one nation can be charged for in another.
What gets debated
In the UK, little debate is about whether social care should exist. Most argument is about money and who should pay. Because social care is means-tested and the NHS is not, some care that people expect to be free is charged for, and different parties have proposed different ways to fund care over the years. Any change to the savings limits, or to a cap on total care costs, would change who pays and how much.