The Sunday Times 24th January 2016

Paying an elderly relative's care home fees this year could cost more than sending a child to Eton College. For the first time, the crippling cost of a private boarding schools education is set to be trumped by the even more painful cost of residential nursing care, with bills for the latter set to rise by up to 10%. The sharp rise in fees is being fuelled by the introduction of the national living wage, as well as new rules that require bosses to pay into a pension for their workers. In April the national living wage of £7.20 an hour will come into force for workers aged 25 and above. At present, the average UK care home, including nursing, cost £676 a week, according to Symponia, the care home advice experts.This means the annual bill is £33,152 just below the cost of a year's fees (£35,721) at the ......Read the full article here