Social Care Green Paper: It’s action we need, not words
Social Care Green Paper: It’s action we need, not words
By Paul Roberts
www.caringforyourbusiness.co.uk
The Government has just over seven days to unveil its blueprint for reform of social care – if it sticks to its promise to publish the much-awaited green paper in June 2009.
There were clear hints from Whitehall sources just a few days ago that it would be published today (June 22). But the wait goes on.
In the run-up to ‘green paper day’, the national charity Counsel and Care says action, not words, is urgently required to ‘patch up the gaping holes in the current care system.’
It warns that the care gap is widening with the elderly, their families and carers struggling to get the quality care and support they urgently need.
The charity says that many are having to sell their homes or use their lifetime savings to pay for the ever-increasing costs of care.
Hundreds of thousands of other people are unable to get the practical support and care that they need to stay at home.
Stephen Burke, Chief Executive of Counsel and Care, says now is the time for radical reform in order to create a care system that is simpler, fairer, consistent, transparent and flexible for everyone.
‘The green paper must spark wide public debate about what we want the future of care funding to look like and, what our collective rights and responsibilities are in society as a whole,’ he says.
Mr Burke calls for immediate practical action including a review of increasing home care charges and better financial support for carers.
There have been one or two clues to proposals likely to be contained in the document – one of which would be particularly controversial.
It centres on the possibility that people may be forced to pay a £12,000 ‘inheritance levy’ to help fund care in their old age.
It has been suggested that this ‘one-off’ fee may be paid on retirement or deducted from the estates of elderly after they die.
Meanwhile, the Local Government Association (LGA) has called for reform of the system determining eligibility of care.
In its discussion paper, A Fairer Future, the LGA calls for the Fair Access to Care Services (FACS) guidance on eligibility to be scrapped.
It says FACS could be replaced by a two-tier system:
- One – primarily free of charge – in which people with lower-level needs would receive information, advice and practical support to help maintain their independence.
- A second – for those with needs at or above the upper end of the ‘moderate’ FACS threshold – in which people would receive means-tested access to funding for care.
As the Ts are crossed and the Is are dotted on the green paper, funding models developed by the London School of Economics are being tested.
When the green paper is published, views on the models and ideas put forward will be sought from the pubic and stakeholders.
With dire warnings of austere times to come – particularly after a General Election – there are no clear indications that reform will be affordable.
We are being told that we will have to ‘pull ours belts in’ during and after the recession and accept that ‘frugal times’ will be here to stay.
We have all had enough of talking about reform even before the green paper emerges from the depths of Whitehall.
Stephen Burke is right – action will speak louder than words. But real and lasting change in social care will require considerable financial investment.
Many of us have yet to be convinced that reform will get beyond the ‘talking shop’ door before it gets lost in political argument.
All-party approval is probably necessary to bring about reform in social care. That seems increasingly unlikely in a divided Parliament torn apart by the expenses controversy.
It would be nice to be proved wrong.
Paul Roberts
Caringforyourbusiness.co.uk
Roberts Consultants, specialists in developing care businesses
July 7th, 2009 at 2:39 pm
Perfect!
May 19th, 2010 at 5:39 am
Awesome article! Your style is so fresh in comparison to most other bloggers. Thank you for posting when you get the chance to, I will be sure to read more!