Options to reform the future funding of nursing and residential care in the Isle of Man will be considered by Tynwald.

Government is working towards putting in place a fair and sustainable system against a backdrop of an ageing population with increasing life expectancy.

An options and next steps report highlights a range of potential models.

MHK Chris Thomas is the Chair of the Social Policy and Children’s Committee – he says: "Ideas about how to fund important elements of social care need to be translated into deliverable reform and fairer provision.

"This report on the future of nursing and residential care identifies policy options, considers their relative merits and lays out the next steps for what is a massive and complex issue.

"Many people have voiced concern about the costs they may incur paying for care in later life.

"Successful reform of the funding of nursing and residential care will require agreement about the balance of responsibility between the state and the individual and a consensus between those who are asset-richer and asset-poorer about what is fair.

"It is a complex challenge, but there is an appetite for change."

While health care is a universal service, free for all at the point of need, social care is not.

Six possible options, including their advantages and disadvantages, outlined in the report are –

?         Modified Manx offer

?         Threshold and Cap schemes

?         Asset Protection Guarantee

?         Free personal care (Scottish Model)

?         Hypothecated Tax/Social Insurance Model

?         Mixed (Jersey Model)