The Government has suggested the social care Green Paper could be delayed once again due to possible ‘unforseen circumstances.’

Age UK held its Late Life conference on 5 September where the minister of state for care at the Department of Health and Social Care, Caroline Dinenage, was in attendance. During a speech, she said there was a chance the paper will not be published in the autumn as expected.

The Green Paper aims to be a long-term reform of the care funding system and was originally due to be published this summer, but it was then delayed until the Autumn.

Several solutions to the Green Paper have been suggested, including the ‘Cash Isa’ and a ‘care pension’ – a mixture of drawdown and care insurance.

Ms Dineange said: “The government is committed to a social care system that delivers high quality care for all.

We have many strands that will demonstrate this commitment, but the Green Paper on social care holds a vitally important place. The publishing of the green paper on social care is entirely our aspiration, however there are often unforeseen circumstances in government which delay things from happening.”

Ms Dineange said at the event the government is looking to work with several different industries on social care. She added: “Ageing is a concern worldwide and we cannot challenge these issues by breaking up social care into silos.

“We are looking at the ways in which we can collaboratively work with different industries, shareholders and employers to see how we can create better care.”