Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of trends in the level of care home fees on self-funding residents.

The majority of care homes are in the independent sector and are free to set their fees as they see fit. The Department does not have the powers to set or recommend the level of fees that a private care home can charge, as this is a commercial decision for a care provider. However, all businesses are required to comply with the Consumer Rights Act 2015 by ensuring that they use fair and clear terms in their standard agreements with customers.

We have launched an independent commission into adult social care as part of our critical first steps towards delivering a National Care Service. The commission will deliver recommendations for the transformation of adult social care, including how to best create a fair and affordable adult social care system.