08.01.13
More detail ‘desperately’ needed on social care reform
The Coalition’s mid-term review saw Prime Minister David Cameron and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg pledge their commitment to helping elderly with the long term costs of social care.
This includes support for the principles of the Dilnot Commission, although details of an exact level for the cap on the amount people must pay towards their care are still forthcoming.
The NHS Confederation has criticised the slow pace of reform for social care funding.
The review highlighted the launch of the Dementia Challenge, an increase in healthcare funding, reducing preventable death and the project to allow patients online access to their health records, as major steps forward for the Government in terms of health and social care.
Mike Farrar, NHS Confederation chief executive, said: “The commitment to an increase in health funding is a sign of the high regard in which NHS and social care are held in this country, and we need to make sure we demonstrate every penny of value we deliver.
“But we know that the financial pressures on the health service are increasing as costs of care and demands on our services grow, and we strive to find the £20bn in savings needed to cover this.
“While we are pleased the Government remains committed to reforming social care funding, we desperately need to see more detail about how we will progress this and in what timeframe.
“Both the NHS and local government are under immense financial pressures. Any further procrastination on social care funding will be further exacerbated by the short term reductions in local council funding from next year.
“The NHS and social care are two sides of the same coin, and older people and their carers do not stop needing support just because the money isn’t there. We know there is a real danger that when social care support decreases it has a knock on impact on the NHS.
“We need to address this issue now or risk paying the price further down the line. Without urgent reform, we will see a decline in services and greater pressure building on the NHS.”
Dr Peter Carter, chief executive & general secretary of the RCN, said: “We welcome the Government’s focus on addressing the hugely important issue of social care funding.
“However, while these are positive steps, there needs to be much more detail about how the Government is going to deliver a system that is fit for purpose. We believe that the Dilnot Commission, with its recommended cap of £35,000 for social care costs, provided a workable solution to social care funding.
“Our concern is that setting a cap at £75,000 or above will help very few people and will still lead to many people being forced to sell their homes. It will also not result in a fair partnership system being developed.
“Getting social care funding right is crucial, not only for the future of social care, but the NHS too, and we would urge implementation of the Dilnot recommendations as soon as possible.”
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