Parties told to deliver care reform
THE next Government must finally “grasp the nettle” and deliver lasting social care reform, the new president of an adult social services organisation is to say.
Melanie Williams will call for politicians to be put “on the spot” in the forthcoming General Election campaign in order to focus attention on adult social care.
Social Care Minister Helen Whately and Shadow Social Care Minister Andrew Gwynne are due to speak at the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (Adass) spring seminar today.
In her speech to the gathering for the first time as president, Ms Williams will say her sector has endured “a decade of disappointment” since the 2014 Care Act.
Addressing day two of the threeday seminar, she will say: “The Care Act celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. I do remember the mood from 10 years ago very differently. We shared great optimism about the Care Act.
“It was so exciting to bring together the vast and complicated system of welfare policy and legislation that we had, but our excitement went beyond that. We felt we had a new dawn of equality and social justice for people.
“When it comes to policy, funding and cross-Government action, we have had a decade of disappointment since. We have rightly come to the conclusion that we have to make our own weather and that we can have real impact.”
Referring to Adass research published in November, she will brand it “indefensible” for there to be almost half a million people waiting for care or to have their needs assessed.
Ms Williams is expected to say the sector is used to politicians making promises about reforming social care and then not fulfilling those pledges.
She will say public perception of social care must change, putting it in the same bracket as the NHS.
Ms Williams will say: “To build sustained political backing to transform care and support in England, we not only need the trust of decision-makers in Government and their confidence that the solutions we’re proposing will work. We need to change the way the public thinks about social care.
“So that they see it as important to them and their families’ wellbeing as the NHS, even if they don’t need support right now.”
She will say: “We look to the next Government finally to grasp the nettle of lasting reform. We must use every opportunity presented by the coming General Election campaign to put the cause of adult social care in the spotlight and our politicians on the spot.”
Ms Williams, who began her career through part-time care work aged 17, said she had “no idea that I was shaping a life-long career in health and social care”.
Too few people who enter into the adult social care workforce are “encouraged and enabled to build a career”, she will say.
“This is why we desperately need a new deal for the care workforce – not just fair pay but a real career structure and meaningful incentives for young people to come into care and support work from school, college or university and to stay,” she will add.
Public satisfaction with social care services dropped to a new low last year, according to a survey published in March.
The findings from the British Social Attitudes survey, published by the Nuffield Trust and The King’s Fund, suggested the leading reason for dissatisfaction was inadequate pay, working conditions and training for social care workers, followed by people not getting the social care they need, and not enough support for unpaid carers.
The Department of Health and Social Care has previously said it has made available up to £8.6bn in funding over two financial years to support adult social care and discharge, is investing up to £700m on things such as harnessing technology and adapting people’s homes, and is reforming social care careers with a new clear career path and an new accredited qualification.
THE growing crisis in social care is not about to go away any time soon and no political party has been able to provide a convincing roadmap towards meeting the care needs of the nation.
For too long politicians have been fixated with being seen to be throwing money at the NHS, when the crisis in social care is a large part of the reason for underlying issues in the health service.
This comes down to public perception with social care not being on the same footing as the NHS.
As the general election approaches, it will be evident why politicians suffer from short-termism. Their main aim being to ensure electoral success.
However, to leave behind a true lasting legacy, they will be required to think past five year election cycles and look beyond party lines.
The care sector says it has endured a decade of disappointment and that the Care Act 2014, which celebrates its tenth anniversary this year, has failed to deliver on the optimism that many in the sector felt at the time.
Political consensus needs to be reached on how the social care needs in this country are met.
Research published in November by the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (Adass) showed there were almost half a million people waiting for care or to have their needs assessed. This is not acceptable.
The problem is the situation is only likely to deteriorate further with the nation facing an ageing population.
The time for lip service on social care is over. Genuine reform of the sector that ensures carers are paid commensurate to the importance of the work that they do and provided a proper career structure is needed.
Politicians and the electorate must attach the same importance to social care as they do the NHS.