Opportunity to grasp the nettle on social care and develop a cross-party consensus
Prime Ministers have repeatedly failed to grasp the nettle when it comes to social care reform. Promises have been made in the past but failed to materialise into any meaningful policy. Instead, there have been repeated reviews, kicking the issue into the long grass.
However, increasingly the social care crisis is one that can no longer be ignored. The incoming Prime Minister’s promise to “spend political capital” on addressing England’s “broken” social care system is to be welcomed. What remains to be seen is just how Andy Burnham plans on delivering much needed reform.
This newspaper has long advocated for a rest on social care. It has too often been treated as the lesser of the NHS, when a lot of the problems facing the healthcare system stem from the crisis in social care.
Until a properly funded plan is presented, the issues within social care will only get worse, with an aging population only adding further pressure to the system.
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey’s suggestion of cross-party talks on social care should not be dismissed out of hand. There is scope for all the major Westminster parties to land on a consensus on social care.
Baroness Louise Casey is leading an independent review into the sector and is expected to publish her first report later this year. The Casey review team is expected to soon launch what she has described as a “challenging” conversation with the country – asking who should get social care, what people should pay and what role the state should play to inform the major review.