UK must double spending on elderly care

The King's Fund, a charity which aims to improve health services, said the next government should go even further and make reforms that would create a new, more expensive system, that would be fairer to people on low to middle incomes.

Despite pressure to cut the record budget deficit, the party that wins the election must take bold steps to improve care for the elderly and avoid making cuts, it said.

"The prospects for the lean years ahead look bleak," the report said. "The need for reform has never been greater, but the timing could not be worse."

The main parties all accept the need to change the current system, but disagree on the way ahead. They failed to reach a cross-party agreement at talks last week.

Health Secretary Andy Burnham has distanced himself from reports that Labour favours a 20,000 pounds inheritance levy on all estates to help pay for care. The Conservatives labelled that a "death tax."

The report's lead author Richard Humphries urged parties to bury their differences and agree on a way to cope with a rapidly ageing population that will place more stress on the system.

"If a long-term view is taken, these proposals are affordable and achievable," he said.

The report recommended a new system where the state would promise to pay half of everyone's care bills and contribute 1 pound for every 2 pounds people pay out of their own pocket.

That would cost 15.5 billion pounds a year by 2026, compared to 12.1 billion pounds if the existing system is kept.