In a new report, the think-tank said England was a ‘stark outlier' among comparable countries in demanding people with savings and assets over £23,250 pay for all their costs.

Simon Bottery, senior fellow at The King's Fund and lead author of the report, said: 'As England moves towards creating a National Care Service and awaits the recommendations of the Casey Commission, there is a long-awaited opportunity to tackle the injustice faced by self-funders. The Government must not miss this chance to create a fairer care system.'

The research, which is a collaboration between The King's Fund, the Global Observatory of Long-Term Care and academics in Australia, Japan and The Netherlands, said only three countries - the United States, Cyprus and Wales – operate systems similar to England. 

It says there are around 137,000 'self-funders' in care homes in England and over 83,000 using home care - representing a third of care home residents and just under a quarter of home care users.

Self-funders typically pay much more than people who pass the means test and may also receive poorer care because they have to navigate a complex care system without support.

The report argues England should move towards a universal system of social care support, similar to most other comparable countries, that gives everyone who needs it some degree of publicly funded support, with users making co-payments to contribute to their care costs according to their income and assets.