Act on social care crisis, Johnson urged
BORIS Johnson was pressed on whether he would fix the social care system on the local election campaign trail.
But the Prime Minister would only say “there will be something about it in the course of the next few months”.
However, campaigners fear there will be no plan outlined in next week’s Queen’s Speech, announcing new Government legislation. It came as bleak analysis by The King’s Fund found widespread decline across the sector relied on by pensioners and other vulnerable people.
Between 2015/16 and 2019/20, 120,000 more people requested social care support but 14,000 fewer people received it.
Sir Andrew Dilnot, appointed by the Coalition Government in 2010 to advise on reforms, yesterday said the failure by successive governments to fix the system is a “stain on our nation”.
Sir Andrew, chair of the Dilnot
Commission on Funding Care and Support, said: “All political parties and all of us have failed to get this done. We desperately need to sort out the system and we should get on with it.”
Optimism
Simon Bottery, senior fellow at The King’s Fund, said: “Following a decade of neglect, there is a continuing gulf between what people need and what they receive. The latest data paints a bleak picture with few causes for optimism.
“Demand is likely to go on increasing but local authorities don’t have the money to meet it.”
After being elected as Tory party leader in July 2019, Mr Johnson said he was “announcing now – on the steps of Downing Street – that we will fix the crisis in social care once and for all with a clear plan we have prepared”.