Time for Boris Johnson to make good on promises for social care – Yorkshire Post letters

From: Mike Padgham, Independent Care Group, Scarborough.
Yorkshire campaigner Mike Padgham is urging Boris Johnson, the new PM, to deliver social care reform.Yorkshire campaigner Mike Padgham is urging Boris Johnson, the new PM, to deliver social care reform.
Yorkshire campaigner Mike Padgham is urging Boris Johnson, the new PM, to deliver social care reform.

IN his campaign, Boris Johnson pledged that nobody should sell their home to pay for care and made adult social care a high priority – well now it is time for him to deliver.

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We say to him, be true to your word. Social care is as important as any other issue – alongside Brexit – and it is time to take action.

Social care is one of the new PM's most pressing issues, says Mike Padgham.Social care is one of the new PM's most pressing issues, says Mike Padgham.
Social care is one of the new PM's most pressing issues, says Mike Padgham.

Over the years too many politicians have promised to tackle social care and then failed – here is an opportunity for Boris Johnson to be different and show us that he is.

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The Green Paper has been delayed and delayed to the point where its moment has passed.

Boris Johnson has named social care as one of his Government's priorities.Boris Johnson has named social care as one of his Government's priorities.
Boris Johnson has named social care as one of his Government's priorities.

We need urgent action now, even if the Government then publishes more long-term proposals further down the line.

It is a bit like working on a house – the long-term plan might be to completely refurbish it, but if the roof is leaking now, 
you have to tackle that straight away.

The independent sector is ready, willing and able to offer help and advice to the Government on how we can all work together to tackle the crisis in adult social care and are eager to meet with Mr Johnson and Matt Hancock, still the Secretary of Health and Social Care.

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I have invited Mr Johnson’s predecessor Theresa May and various Ministers to visit social care providers but to no avail.

Here is an opportunity for a new Government to make a fresh start and solve the problem of social care once and for all.

From: Professor Dame Parveen Kumar, Chair, BMA board of science.

IT is welcome that the Government has published the long-awaited Green Paper on healthcare and notably the commitment to work to reduce childhood obesity, an issue on which the BMA has called for urgent action.

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While the paper has a focus on personalised prevention, it has failed to commit to the effective population-wide measures to truly improve the public’s health. Without effective regulation, such as the extension of a minimum unit pricing for alcohol and the introduction of legally-binding limits on air pollution, this cannot be a truly effective strategy.

Ultimately the success of this strategy, lies in the hands of the new Government. It is concerning that this paper lands at a time of such political uncertainty so it is vital that the new Prime Minister not only delivers the positive steps outlined in it, but commits to the bolder action that is needed.