Hft responds to Queen’s Speech
Billy Davis, Public Affairs and Policy Manager at Hft, responds to the Queen's Speech.
Responding to today’s (19 December 2019) Queen’s Speech, Billy Davis, Public Affairs and Policy Manager at Hft, commented: “After continued promises of a green paper on the future of adult social care, the Queen’s Speech has committed to building cross-party consensus on the future of adult social care. We hope that these talks will begin soon and deliver the financially sustainable solutions the sector desperately needs.
“However, we are concerned that the conversation appears to be framed as ensuring people will not need to sell their homes to pay for social care. Unlike older people, support for working age adults with learning disabilities is funded almost exclusively by local authorities.
“Our recent poll of MPs found that, in the last Parliament, more than half (53%) of MPs believed learning disabilities accounted for less than 15% of total adult social care expenditure in England. In fact, it is nearer a third. If these planned reforms are to benefit everyone, then parties across government must ensure that reforms include working age adults, and not just the over-65s.”
