Richard Hawkes, Chair of the Care and Support Alliance, said:

“The Chancellor is clear the recovery must be about providing people with security.

“If you’re old or disabled that means knowing that if you need support to get up, get dressed and get out; that you won’t be trapped in your home.

“The Government’s flagship care reforms are close to being agreed.

“They’re radically overhauling the creaking system.

“There are imminent decisions about who will get care in the new system.
“We’re really worried that hundreds of thousands of people who need care, won’t get it. Without that support people become isolated, risk slipping into crisis and ending up in A&E.

“The budget, the decision on eligibility and the upcoming Public Accounts Committee investigation on funding for care –  these are all opportunities for the Government to commit not just to a set of positive principles, but to creating a properly funded care system that gives older and disabled people – and the families who care for them – the support they need to live independently.”