Queen's Speech - Response to the announced draft care and support bill

In today’s Queen’s Speech, there was a declaration to modernise the support and care for older people and disabled people, with the England only, draft care and support bill.

In response, the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services welcomed assurances that legislation on the shape of future adult care services will be brought forward by the Government. However, they say they are unable to hide their disappointment that “we have still not moved on from the position where successive Governments have been unable to find a way of ensuring that those services will be adequately funded.”

ADASS president Sarah Pickup said: “We fully understand the wide variety of problems facing the Coalition Government and the economic, social and political complexities which surround them.

“But, the care system for adults, be they elderly and frail, and/or disabled in any way, is inadequate to meet their needs.

“Government has acknowledged this; all the parties have acknowledged this; as have all the carers’ and users’ groups involved. The Coalition specifically highlighted the urgency of finding a solution in its early agreement and decision to set up the Dilnot Commission.

“We very much welcome the inclusion in the Speech of a process that will move us forward positively towards legislation. But we also very much urge Government to recognise the urgency of the situation we face, maintain its momentum, and pick up the issue of adult social care as a key priority as the next spending review approaches.

“ADASS will be keen to work with Government departments in order that all the strands currently going forward – Dilnot; the Law Commission’s views; benefit reorganisation, and the impact of the Health and Social Care Act to name but a few - can be pulled together to set up a sustainable system for the future.”

Leonard Cheshire Disability, a charity campaigning for change and providing innovative services and opportunities to disabled people also commented on the draft bill.

Clare Pelham, chief executive of Leonard Cheshire Disability said: “Millions of disabled and older people, their carers and families, will be judging the Prime Minister by his actions on social care. A properly reformed and funded social care system would be a historic legacy for this Government.

“People in this country are today being denied the care that they need because of a lack of funding, and families are being stretched to breaking point.

“Social care reform is one of the single most pressing issues facing our country today - reform simply cannot wait. Although times are hard, it is a question of fundamental decency that disabled and older people should be able to live their lives with dignity in Britain in the 21st century. We are calling on the Government to make sure that the future funding of our care system is addressed as a matter of urgency.”

Dot Gibson, general secretary of Britain’s biggest pensioner organisation, the National Pensioners Convention (NPC) commented: “Everyone agrees that the current social care system is bust, but no-one seems prepared to do anything about it. Over the last 14 years we have had 20 separate reports and investigations into the problems that people face such as the postcode lottery of charges, poor standards of care, rationing of services and inadequate support for carers – and now we will have yet another draft bill that will further delay any decision being made.

“In the meantime, up to 1m older people are without the care they need and around 1m more are being treated unfairly by a social care system that shifts the responsibility and cost onto the individual rather than society as a whole. We urgently need a National Care Service funded like the NHS to solve the problems that people face – but today’s announcement merely means more bits of paper that can gather dust on a shelf in Whitehall.”

Independent Age, a charity providing national information and an advice services for older people, families and their carers also responded to the Queen’s Speech, their director of policy, Simon Bottery, said: “It is enormously disappointing that the “f” word - funding – is again completely absent from the government’s proposal for a draft bill on social care.

"Proposals in the other areas, particularly improved advice and information, will be welcome but funding is the bedrock upon which all other reforms rely. The government acknowledged this by setting up the Dilnot commission but there is no reference whatsoever to its recommendations, even though they have been almost universally welcomed.

“The only glimmer of hope is that the draft bill could yet be used as a vehicle for funding reform, if all-party agreement can be reached and the modest costs of reform found. The cross-party talks currently underway on social care therefore take on even greater urgency.

"All the parties agree on the urgent need for reform of social care funding and there is the basis of a ready-made a solution available in the Dilnot recommendations. Failure to reach agreement and to include funding reform in the bill would be a failure not just of those in need of care but of our entire political process.

“Organisations and campaigners involved in the reform of social care now need to keep pressure on the government to ensure the key issue of funding still takes its rightful place in the bill.”

Keep checking carehome.co.uk and homecare.uk for the latest news and response on the bill