There has been much coverage in the media concerning the announcement this month of a commission for a review and ultimately a reform to social care
Former senior civil servant Louise Casey has been appointed to lead a review into adult social care in England. Baroness Louise Casey will lead an independent commission on building a National Care Service to deliver long-awaited reform.
The commission will publish an interim report next year, but is not set to conclude until 2028, a year before the next general election is likely to be held. The first-phase report will look at critical issues and recommend medium-term improvements, with phase two considering how to organise care services and fund them in the long-term.
Baroness Casey said: “Millions of older people, disabled people, their families and carers rely upon an effective adult social care system to live their lives to the full, with independence and dignity.
“An independent commission is an opportunity to start a national conversation, find the solutions and build consensus on a long-term plan to fix the system. I am pleased the Prime Minister has asked me to lead this vital work.”
Mr Streeting, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has invited opposition parties to take part in the work.
He said: “I have written to opposition parties to invite them to take part in the commission’ work, and asked Baroness Louise Casey to build a cross-party consensus, to ensure the National Care Service survives governments of different shades, just as our NHS has for the past 76 years.”
The NHS Confederation urges all political parties to work together to create a consensus for action on social care.
Responding to the government’s announcement of an independent commission on social care Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said:
“This announcement sets out a range of welcome commitments – not just the commission but also short-term support for the sector as well. Social care provides vital support to people up and down the country every day, but we know it has been trying to manage very difficult financial and staffing problems in the face of rising demand.
“The NHS is also under immense pressure due to the combination of winter viruses, staff sickness and high demand. One of the key reasons for patients being stuck in hospitals when they are well enough to be discharged is a lack of social care. Healthcare leaders will welcome the additional funding and measures to boost capacity as these will also support the NHS.
“The government’s ambition to find a long-term solution for social care is commendable and we urge all parties to work together to create a consensus for action. We know that significant change will require difficult choices, but the pressure on social care and impact on the NHS means that governments can no longer kick the can further down the road.
“We and our members look forward to working closely with the new commission given the significant implications its findings will have for the health sector. But while we wait for the commission to report back it seems likely that the government may need to provide further short-term support for the social care sector – particularly to break the continued cycle of difficult winters the health and care sectors have experienced.
Responding to the launch of the independent commission on social care, Cllr Louise Gittins, Chair of the Local Government Association, said:
“The announcement of an independent review of adult social care marks a potentially important step in addressing the significant challenges facing the sector. New funding for adult social care is positive, we are pleased to see that more people will be supported in their homes through more investment in the Disabled Facilities Grant.
“For this process to succeed, the review must deliver bold and actionable recommendations, backed by a firm commitment to provide the substantial funding needed to turn those recommendations into reality.
“The full potential value of this work will only be realised if local government, people drawing on care and support, and other parts of the sector, are fully involved and engaged. This review provides a vital opportunity to create a system that works for everyone, and we are ready to collaborate with the Government and partners to achieve this goal.”
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) general secretary and chief executive Professor Nicola Ranger said : “Nursing staff deliver the vast majority of care in the sector and must be central to any attempts to turn things around.
“Vulnerable people needing care cannot wait until 2028 for change and neither can the overworked, underpaid nursing staff who care for them.”
This was echoed by the director of policy at the Health Foundation, Hugh Alderwick, who called on the commission to “move quickly and build on previous policy proposals”.
Mr Alderwick noted that the past three decades had seen “a long line of reports and reviews” making recommendations for social care reform alongside “delays and broken promises”.
He added: “Today’s announcement suggests it may be three years before we see recommendations for longer-term reform, including to the broken funding system for social care.
“This risks history repeating itself, with reforms not being implemented and people continuing to suffer.”
Similarly, Sarah Woolnough, chief executive at the King’s Fund, urged the government to accelerate the timing of the second phase of the commission.
She said: “The current timetable to report by 2028 is far too long to wait for people who need social care, and their families.
“The most fundamental issue to reforming social care is addressing the very tight means test which effectively limits state support to those with the lowest assets and highest needs.
“The issues and the potential solutions to this are clear and do not require years to consider.”