The founder of Busy Bees, the UK’s leading childcare nursery provider with 361 children’s nurseries says the adult social care funding gap could be filled by a voucher system.

John Woodward was a driving force behind the introduction of childcare vouchers in 2005. He has been campaigning for the introduction of a similar scheme since early 2017 and has now pitched the idea to the Treasury – ahead of the government’s social care Green Paper.

Mr Woodward said: “This Green Paper acknowledges that adult social care is an extremely pressing issue, one that has been largely neglected over many years.”

Childcare vouchers have helped more than 600,000 families and Mr Woodward believes a similarly salary funded scheme could work in social care.

The adult social care vouchers would allow eligible tax payers to sacrifice a portion of their salary (before tax deductions) – dependent on income this could allow a £100 each week to fund either their own or a dependent’s adult care.

“It’s blindly obvious the individual should be the focus. I hope the worry about change does not undermine the necessary ambition required to end the social care funding crisis and we hope to see radical reforms suggested in the government’s Green Paper,” said Mr Woodward.