The Care and Support Alliance (CSA) has welcomed today’s speech by the Prime Minister setting out the Government’s plans to begin reform of England’s adult social care system.
The speech marked the launch of a new phase of work on social care reform, including the acceleration of Baroness Casey’s independent commission, a renewed commitment to strengthening the social care workforce, the start of cross-party talks to build consensus on a long-term settlement, and the launch of Baroness Casey’s Big Conversation on Care.
Drawing on his own family’s experience of dementia, the Prime Minister argued that adult social care can no longer remain in the “too difficult” box. Acknowledging that governments of all political parties have failed to resolve the longstanding challenges facing the system, he called for a new approach that puts people before politics and seeks lasting consensus on reform.
Responding to today’s announcements, Caroline Abrahams CBE, Emily Holzhausen CBE and Jackie O’Sullivan, Co-Chairs of the Care and Support Alliance, said:
“Today’s announcement offers the best opportunity in a generation to secure lasting reform of adult social care.
“The Prime Minister spoke powerfully about his family’s experience of dementia and care, reflecting a longstanding personal commitment to reform. We welcome his determination to make social care an early priority, his commitment to work across political parties, his decision to accelerate Baroness Casey’s timetable for reform, and his support for Baroness Casey’s Big Conversation on Care as the starting point for building lasting change.
“Bringing forward Baroness Casey’s final recommendations recognises the urgency of reform. People who draw on care and support, unpaid carers and the social care workforce have waited long enough for change and cannot afford more years of delay.
“Beginning with a national conversation about what people should be able to expect from a modern care and support system is exactly the right approach. Launching the Big Conversation on Care now, well before the next General Election, creates an opportunity to build the broad public and political consensus that has been missing from previous attempts at reform.
“Around half of us will either need care ourselves or care for someone we love during our lifetime. Yet most people only discover how the system works when they are already in crisis. Baroness Casey’s Big Conversation on Care must therefore be shaped by the voices of the people who know it best – older people, disabled people, unpaid carers, care workers and families.
“We also welcome the Prime Minister’s recognition of the vital contribution made by the social care workforce. Care workers deserve fair pay, opportunities to develop their skills and careers, and the recognition that reflects the skilled, compassionate and essential role they play in people’s lives. A valued workforce will be fundamental to building the National Care Service the Government has set out as its ambition.
“The debate about social care has too often focused solely on how to pay for it. Reform isn’t just about paying for care. It’s about addressing the real scandal that millions of people still cannot get the good-quality care and support they need. Any long-term funding solution should be judged on whether it enables older and disabled people to live the lives they choose with dignity, independence and choice, supports unpaid carers, eases pressure on the NHS, and builds a fair, sustainable care and support system – not on political slogans.”
“Today’s announcement is an important opportunity to move beyond political point-scoring. The real test now is whether Baroness Casey’s Big Conversation on Care leads to practical improvements for people who need care and support today, while laying the foundations for the fair, sustainable system that people have waited decades to see.”
