Prime Minister David Cameron has confirmed that Jeremy Hunt will continue as Secretary of State for Health, following the election on 7th May.
Following his reappointment, Mr Hunt spoke about his priorities. As part of this he highlighted the need for ‘a step change in services offered through GP surgeries, community care and social care’.
Responding, Richard Hawkes, Chair of the Care and Support Alliance, said:
“We welcome the Secretary of State for Health’s recognition of the need to improve care outside hospitals and in particular, his identification of the importance of social care.
“Before the election David Cameron committed to additional funding for the NHS. We would urge the Government to invest across the health and social care system, rather than just the NHS.
“The Care Act introduced in the last Parliament was a bold and ambitious attempt to solve the crisis in care. However, the reality is chronic underfunding of social care has seen a dramatic year-on-year rationing of support for older and disabled people and their carers, excluding hundreds of thousands of people from the support they desperately need. As more and more of us need support, fewer and fewer of us are getting it.
“We would urge the new Government to now focus on addressing the crisis in care funding, as well as in the health system. “As an alliance of more than 80 organisations, we look forward to continuing to work with the Government in ensuring older and disabled people and their families receive the care they deserve.”