Care chiefs warn failure to fix social care reform in Queen's Speech will be a 'bitter blow'

Ahead of the Queen’s Speech tomorrow, the National Care Forum (NCF) and a group of council leaders from the Local Government Association (LGA) are urging ministers to “make good on the Prime Minister’s promise to ‘fix social care’, once and for all.”

The promise was made by Boris Johnson on his first day as prime minister in 2019 but concerned the reform will not get a mention in the Queen's Speech, the NCF and LGA are urging ministers to keep their promise to overhaul social care when the government sets out its legislative programme for the coming year tomorrow.

The NCF is calling on the government to take the opportunity to use its reform plans to put social care at the heart of policy planning, to think social care first and design a social care system that is person-centred, fair and fit for the future.

’Now is the time for long-term ambition not yet another quick fix’

Vic Rayner, chief executive of the NCF said: “The government must take this opportunity to be ‘ambitious for social care’, a once in a generation chance to reform and invest in social care so it can continue to make a transformational difference to the lives of the millions who use it now and the millions more who will need it in the future, their families and carers and those who work in it.

“Social care helps millions of people to live their best lives – with the right focus, support and investment, this government can be the one that delivers for social care.”

The NCF has published a paper detailing eight ambitions to reform social care including long-term funding and deliver long-awaited award and recognition for staff who work in social care.

The paper highlights how Covid-19 has brought the importance of finding a ‘long-term funding solution to stabilise, sustain and grow the choice of high quality, resilient and accessible care and support services. Fundamental reform of social care must be a priority and not just a recovery from the experiences of the last year.’

The paper also underlines the fact there has been no dedicated national workforce strategy for social care since 2009. ‘Investing in social care also means investing in the workforce. The government must develop a fully funded people plan for social care that provides clear career progression, better recognise and value staff, invest in their training and support, and introduce professionalisation and registration where this is appropriate.’

“Our paper calls for ambitious plans for social care reform backed by evidence and the experience of providers from across the sector. Ambitious social care reform can make a transformational change for millions of people, with the profound effect of principled change supporting positive change that will be felt in all communities across the country.

“It will require bold commitment and investment from the government for social care reform fit for now and in the future. We need to move forward from the place of rhetoric to action - specific action that will propel the sector from the position of recovery to sustainability and growth. Now is the time for long-term ambition not yet another quick fix,” added Ms Rayner.

A failure to act will be a bitter blow to everyone connected to social care’

Meanwhile, the LGA has sent a cross-party letter to Chancellor Rishi Sunak, warning him a failure to act on securing the future of adult social care as we emerge from the pandemic will be a ‘bitter blow’ to the millions of people who draw on and work in these vital services.

Cllr James Jamieson, chairman of the LGA, said: “Social care has been on the frontline throughout the pandemic and councils have done all they can to protect and manage these vital services, while dealing with severe funding pressures for several years.

“In particular, the last 12 months have proven their ability to respond to changing demands and needs under the most difficult of circumstances.

In the letter, the cross-party members of LGA state, ‘the forthcoming Queen’s Speech, as well as the Spending Review later this year, are key opportunities for the government to make good on its promise to ‘fix social care’. Improving social care for everyone who draws on it requires a long-term and sustainable settlement.

‘The decisions your government makes on social care funding and reform in the coming weeks have the potential to positively impact, to a significant degree, both the millions of people who draw on, or work in, care and support now, and the many millions more who will do so in the decades ahead.’

Cllr Jamieson added: “Our latest poll of MPs demonstrates the broad support across Parliament for additional funding for councils’ social care budgets.

“All of us in local government, across the political divide, want to see the Queen’s Speech finally set out the plans we have been waiting for and make good on the Prime Minister’s promise to ‘fix social care’, once and for all.

“This is about an investment in people, in all of us. A failure to act will be a bitter blow to everyone connected to social care.”