A report by The King's Fund showed the freeze on the £23,250 threshold since 2010/11 had cost people an additional £12,400.

Simon Bottery, senior fellow for social care at The King's Fund, said: ‘The 15-year freeze to the thresholds is just one symptom of an unfair social care system resulting from reform being put off for decades.'

The King's Fund said the threshold would have been over £36,500 in 2026/27 if it had increased in line with inflation.

The analysis also cited Competition and Markets Authority data in 2017 that found a 41% difference between rates paid by self-funders compared with those funded by local authorities with little evidence this gap had closed.

Bottery said the support threshold should be unfrozen as part of wider social care reforms.

Helen Morgan, Lib Dem Health Spokesperson said: ‘The Liberal Democrats are … calling for a limit on how much any person has to pay, and to increase the amount of savings that are protected. It's time the Government puts family carers front and centre, ends the social care catastrophe, and helps families pushed to breaking point.'