An Aston University financial wellbeing expert has helped launch a new website which aims to help people understand and navigate the social care system. 

Andy Lymer, professor of taxation and personal finance at Aston Business School, contributed to the project, led by the University of York, to develop the Paying For Social Care section of socialcaretalk.org. 

Interviews with 29 self-funders and family carers were gathered for the project funded by the National Institute for Health Research. These were grouped into video and audio clips and categorised into major issues people typically face in making social care funding decisions and placed on the site.

The summaries are broken down into various headings, including ‘getting the right care’, ‘assessments and eligibility’, ‘legal matters’ and ‘family and friends’. Each summary features a written account of people’s experiences, illustrated with video, audio and text clips of people talking about their experiences to provide a rich set of resources based on real life examples. 

It is written and presented to be accessible to all – particularly those approaching a potentially challenging process for the first time.  It is aimed primarily at members of the public but will also help social care, finance and health professionals learn more about self-funders’ experiences and how they could help.

Professor Andy Lymer said:

“I am really proud of the website we have created from this work.

“Social care is very much on the agenda for everybody in the UK at the moment. We all need to be much more aware of preparing for, and supporting others we care for, paying for social care in the future and this is particularly where this site will really help.

“How much self-funders will need to pay towards care is changing in 2023. However, it seems unlikely this will mean they will find the system easier to navigate. People can benefit hugely from listening to others’ stories. 

“I’d encourage everyone to take a look at Social Care Talk as we think this will really help people find the help they need to make the right choices in this complex environment.”