King's Fund claim health and social care system 'no longer fit for purpose'

Independent charity The King’s Fund has called for the health and social care systems to be over hauled after claiming they are no longer fit for the twenty-first century.

The report, chaired by Kate Barker, business economist and former member of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee, has called for a move towards a single ring-fenced budget for health and social care in England to provide closely aligned entitlements and commissions.

The independent commission was set up to re-examine the historical divides between the two systems and found changes need to be made to meet the increasing long term needs of the growing and ageing population in England.

Claiming the NHS is already under considerable strain, the report said the current systems deliver poorly co-ordinated, unfair services and is confusing for patients, service users and their families.

The commission’s chair, Kate Barker, said: ‘The current systems rub up against each other like bones in an open fracture. The lack of alignment between them leads to serious problems of co-ordination, with the NHS and local authorities battling over who should pay for what, and patients, service users and their families left confused and bewildered. This is not sustainable – we need a new settlement fit for the twenty-first century.

‘This report is our stake in the ground. The prize we seek – a single, seamless health and social care system that offers equal support for equal need – is a significant one. This necessitates making choices about how to pay for a better system – hard choices that we must look squarely in the eye.’

The Kings Fund has claimed the roots of problems are due to the lack of alignment between health and social care services, which can act as a significant barrier to co-ordinating services and confuses people trying to access care.

Responding to the report, Chris Ham, chief executive of The King's Fund said: “We welcome the commission's report – it sets out a compelling case for change and hard choices that need to be faced. These choices present a significant challenge to politicians but with NHS and social care budgets now under huge strain, this is a debate we need to start before, not after, the next General Election.”

The King’s Fund has called welcomed responses to their findings and wants to know whether their proposition for a single budget for health and social care is supported.