Social care must be made a top priority

Social care is the elephant in the room when it comes to the crisis in healthcare in England. Repeated failures to even begin to address this issue has resulted in the NHS reaching breaking point.

The King’s Fund is right to say that reform has been “consistently dodged or delayed” and that the next government must make social care a priority.

Financial eligibility for care has continued to tighten with the threshold for help remaining unchanged since 2010/11.

While local authorities continue to suffer from financing woes, the fact that the bill for purchasing care continues to rise faster than inflation highlights the challenge that is on their hands when it comes to funding care.

There is also clearly a huge issue when it comes to recruitment and retention in the care sector. This is borne out by the fact that the vacancy rate in the social care workforce is at its second-highest on record, while around 19,000 fewer unpaid carers are receiving direct support.

People working in the care sector need to know that they are valued. And young people considering careers need to be shown a clear pathway to progression.

More support for unpaid carers would also help alleviate some of the strain on the care sector.

The perception of care won’t change unless a future government decides to give it the precedence it deserves. That is why this newspaper continues to advocate for a National Care Service, on a par with the NHS. With an ageing population, it is imperative that the country has a social care system that is fit for purpose.