Care minister 'committed' to green paper this Autumn but don't mention the 'B-word'

Care minister Caroline Dinenage has said the social care green paper offers a chance to “disrupt thinking” and has confirmed she’s committed to publishing it this Autumn, however it is the "B-word" (Brexit) that she seemed more wary of.

Speaking at the For Later Life Conference in Westminster, run by Age UK, the care minister described her eight months in the job as “a very sobering time underlying to me the importance of this role”.

She spoke of her plan to get the green paper published this Autumn but it was a question on Brexit from the audience of care professionals that appeared to hint at the social care difficulties to come post Brexit.

Millions of elderly and disabled are predicted to be the losers post-Brexit, according to new analysis of government figures which reveals ending freedom of movement could lead to 115,000 fewer care workers in England from the European Union.

When asked what the Government was going to do to help the care sector get workers after Brexit, Ms Dinenage said: “I was hoping we weren’t going to get onto the B-word.”

The minister told the audience: “I want to pay tribute to the incredible, hardworking people social care workforce but also the unpaid and informal carers who play such a massive part in the health and social care system”.

'Let's not delude ourselves'

During her speech, she did not shy away from the ‘F-word’ (funding) and said: “We talk about how the funding is not there. We have provided funding to help resolve the ongoing issue. We’ve already given councils access to £9.4 billion more dedicated funding over the three years from 2017/18.

“Think about that figure. £9.4 billion. It represents an eight per cent increase and yet we still hear every day that local authorities don’t have enough money to commission the high-quality care that they want.

“We still hear every day providers are struggling. We still hear every day informal carers are not getting the help and support they need. And that’s why we have committed to publishing the green paper in the Autumn.”

Of her role as care minister so far she said: “I’m pleased to say since I’ve been in the Department, I’ve seen our proposals evolve and adapt. Building a sustainable care and support system is going to require some big decisions".

On the green paper she warned: “Let’s not delude ourselves. We do need to get this right. Time is not on our side. The prize is a better system that everyone can have confidence in.”

Describing health and social care secretary Matt Hancock’s “new thoughts and ideas” and priorities, she said: “One of these is prevention. It’s the cornerstone to ensure that we have a sustainable health and care system.

“By that I mean empowering people to remain healthy in their own homes for as long as possible. Treating problems quickly and delivering care in the appropriate setting.

“This new emphasis on prevention is a new angle and a new focus for the Department” which Ms Dinenage said would be reflected in the green paper.

Recently, a report by Age UK concluded England was doing ‘rather badly’ when it comes to caring for its elderly in comparison to some countries.

Describing ageing as a challenge of the modern world, the minister acknowledged that some countries had already taken positive steps towards addressing social care. She said “We shouldn’t forget the work that other governments are undertaking and spoke of a “unique opportunity to disrupt thinking” to change current public perceptions [of ageing].

“To solve the challenge of ageing she said: “We need to think afresh, be creative, we need to be a little bit disruptive so that we can lead the way in responding to some of the issues that we face.”

At the conclusion of her speech she told the audience: “We hope it [green paper] will jump start a debate with the public, with parliamentarians, with stakeholders and we’re very keen to hear a wide range of views. Ensuring a long-term sustainable approach to social care is too important a task to do anything but get absolutely right”.