Independent Age respond to social care announcements made in the Budget
Janet Morrison, Chief Executive of Independent Age, the older people's charity has responded to social care announcements made in the Budget.
“The government has committed the bare minimum to fund social care. While it is of course welcome, no one should be under the illusion that it will do anything more than shore up a crumbling system. It is even more imperative that the government publishes its promised Green Paper to find a long-term solution to the fundamental problems facing social care as our society ages.
“We have been pressing Theresa May and her predecessor David Cameron for a proper review of social care funding for some time and are pleased that the Government have finally listened. There is a real opportunity for the government to leave a lasting legacy, beyond the immediate concerns of Brexit, in an area of fundamental and growing importance to us as a society: how we support and care for our older population.
“However the Green Paper must not be used as a smokescreen for inaction. It must report back its findings and begin implementation by the end of this Parliament. The scope of the review is critical: it must be inclusive, open and urgent, encompassing not just social care funding but also how it links to health and benefits spending on older people. There is therefore a strong case for it feeding into and supporting the successor to the current NHS 5-year forward view. Above all, the review must make clear once and for all what will be provided by the state and what will be the responsibility of individuals and their families, so that people can plan for old age with some degree of certainty.”
