Care England launches its vision for social care

Care England has today launched its vision for adult social care which is aimed help government establish a long-term and sustainable future that will be to the benefit of all citizens and the economy.

The vision is premised around five key themes, each of which presents a key ask of government. These themes have been submitted to the Prime Minister by Care England.

Professor Martin Green, chief executive of Care England, says: “Successive governments have promised social care reform but have not delivered. We Care For England represents the foundation for a long-term and sustainable future for adult social care that will be to the benefit of all citizens and the economy.

“The vision calls on the government to deliver a new system of support in which health and social care systems act in a coordinated fashion-focused around the person and are financed adequately and appropriately.”

The five key themes under We Care For England are:

1. Sustainability - Care England agrees with the Commons Health and Social Care Select Committee's call for £7bn annual increase in social care funding as a starting point for reform.

2. Meaningful life - Quality service provision must be enabled so that people in need live with comfort, dignity, and choice.

3. People - The sector requires a ten-year workforce plan, akin to that of the NHS, where career progression, pay, and rewards are identified.

4. Integration - Bridging the gap between health and social care stretches beyond funding integration, but also encompasses reforming commissioning practice, data and information practice, and service delivery.

5. Innovation and investment - Providers need certainty about funding to invest in wider community development. This investment must be for providers of both state-funded and privately financed care.

'We are ready and waiting to help government reach a definitive solution'

Successive governments have promised social care reform but have not delivered including Tony Blair, the then Prime Minister in 1997, told the Labour Party conference: "I don't want [our children] brought up in a country where the only way pensioners can get long term care is by selling their home".

In 2019, the Conservative party pledged to reform adult care in its manifesto and Boris Johnson on his first day as PM promised to fix social care "once and for all."

Professor Green added: “The sector is brimming with innovation, energy and commitment which Care England, with the help of its members, can harness. Care England has submitted this vision to the Prime Minister, along with other key policymakers. We are ready and waiting to help government reach a definitive solution.”

The new campaign is encouraging all those involved in adult social care to bring light to the five themes and asks with the hashtag #WeCareForEngland in all social media posts.

The resources for the vision can be found here