It has been a year since the Baker Commission published its ‘new settlement’ for social care, which called for a single-ring-fenced budget for social care, with a single commissioner. The Commission also strongly recommended that social care system be simplified to reduce confusion and to ensure that needs are able to be effectively met.  The Commission, one year on, has released a statement which details the grave concerns they have for the current state of social care, which is increased by the possibility of further cuts ahead of the Governments Spending Review later this month.  Concerns over the UK’s ageing population, the wider impact poor social care funding is having on the NHS and the lack of funding preventing “good people delivering good care” has meant the urgent calling for the recommendations from the Baker Commission to be implemented.

Vicky McDermott, chair of the Care and Support Alliance, said:  “We welcome the updated statement from the Barker Commission.

It confirms what the Care and Support Alliance has been saying for a long time – that the Government needs to invest in care as well as health because of the knock-on impacts of a shortage in care funding on the NHS.

As the Commission states, because of a lack of strategy and commitment by the Government to addressing the need in care for increased funding, the social care system is on the verge of crumbling around us unless the Government acts now.

“More and more people need social care support, but fewer and fewer get it. The Government must use the upcoming comprehensive spending review to address the chronic underfunding in care.

The only long-term solution to the care crisis is an increase in funding and, as the Barker Commission rightly argues, as a country we can afford it. In fact, we can’t afford not to.”

The Commission’s one year on statement was covered in the Telegraph at the weekend: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/11980580/Care-system-crumbling-after-broken-promise-on-fees-cap-inquiry-chair.html