ELDERLY and disabled adults are nearly £2 billion worse off in paying for social care since plans for a cap were shelved three years ago, according to Labour analysis of government data.

Around 534,000 additional people would have received state support from 2016 to 2026 were the cap implemented by the Department of Health and Social Care as was planned, the party said.

Financial transfers to older and working-age adults would have exceeded £1.26bn, or nearly £1.3bn when factoring in inflation, by March this year. 

This is the amount they would have saved over three years by not having to pay for care if the cap was implemented.

In addition, they would have also saved more than £600 million of costs through “peace of mind” benefits.

Also, people in need of care have lost nearly £800m because of delays to the publication of the government’s green paper, Labour said.

Shadow minister for social care Barbara Keeley said: “People who expected to receive their care for free are now paying eye-watering sums to get the social care they need while others struggle to access care to which they are entitled.

“People who need care can’t afford this feckless government kicking social care funding further into the long grass.

“Labour will place a lifetime cap on social care costs as part of our plans to build a National Care Service.”