BREAKING POINT
Mencap boss tells PM rivals to boost ailing care sector
RISHI Sunak and Liz Truss are being urged to rescue social care as a charity boss warns the system is “at breaking point”.
Mencap chief executive Edel Harris called on the Conservative No10 candidates to “commit to the necessary funding” to ease pressure on the struggling sector.
Writing exclusively for the Mirror and backing our Fair Care for All campaign, Ms Harris says pumping in more cash “can help to unlock the potential of people with a learning disability across the country”.
When he became Prime Minister in July 2019, Boris Johnson claimed he had “a clear plan prepared” that he promised would “fix the crisis in social care once and for all”.
But when ministers finally published their blueprint last December, it was blasted for failing to deliver long-term proposals for ending the crisis.
The health and social care levy hike in National Insurance is also under threat, with leadership race favourite Ms Truss vowing to reverse the tax rise.
Funds generated are being injected into the NHS but are due to be transferred to social care when the coronavirus treatment backlog has been eroded.
The Mirror’s Fair Care for All campaign demands a National Care Service to run alongside the NHS, the appointment of a Minister for the Elderly and a properly-funded care system for all. We also want a fair deal for care workers.
We want an end to home visits of 15 minutes or less, a bigger allowance for carers and for care workers to get the Real Living Wage. Earlier this year, the Mirror told how 30.2% of jobs in England’s care sector are paid below that mark. Regionally, 42.3% in London were denied the Real Living Wage, 37.3% in the West Midlands and 33.1% in the North West. The rate paid by firms accredited with the Living Wage Foundation is £9.90 an hour, rising to £11.05 in London. In contrast, the legal minimum wage for over-25s is £9.50 through the National Living Wage. Mr Sunak’s and Ms Truss’s teams were both contacted for comment. Mr Sunak said: “I know how important sorting out our social care system is – that’s why I took the decision to introduce the social care levy to help fund it.”