The Daily Telegraph reports that Downing Street favours a 1% rise in the national insurance rate, affecting about 25 million workers and self-employed people, as well as employers. But it says the Treasury is pushing for a 1.25% increase.

And the Times adds that Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid wants a bigger rise of 2%.

But a source close to Mr Javid said that 2% figure was incorrect and the BBC understands the health secretary is pushing for a lower figure.

Full articles:

The BBC - National Insurance: Minister refuses to deny reports of tax hike for social care

The Telegraph - Tax rise for 25 million to pay for social care
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The Times - Sajid Javid calls for 2% rise in national insurance to fund social care
*A Times subscription required to read this article

Revitalising Rural: Realising the Vision is a campaign led by the Rural Services Network to challenge Government on a number of policy areas that affect rural communities.

The campaign features on a number of topics which are pertinent across rural communities and one of these areas is 'Access to Rural Health and Care Services'.

The campaign details the rural dimension of health a care services in rural areas and details how older people form a significantly larger proportion of the population in rural areas than in urban areas, a point which matters since age is the main determinant of demand for health and care services.

Frailty and complex comorbidity is more common among this age group. Furthermore, the proportion of older people within the overall population is increasing fastest in rural areas. This trend is very marked for those aged 85 or over whose care needs tend to be most complex.

One of the asks in the Access to Rural Health and Care Services chapter of the Revitalising Rural campaign which is relevant to the above news story is shown below:

Social care provision: Government should implement the findings of its Fair Funding Review to help level-up the provision of social care services in rural areas, taking full account of their delivery cost in more sparsely populated areas. This would also enable improved or more consistent engagement with and commissioning of ‘low level’ support services for vulnerable rural residents, which are typically delivered locally by voluntary and community sector organisations.