Matt Hancock social care announcement - Independent Age comment
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Independent Age have issued a response to the Matt Hancock announcement of £240million funding for social care to address delayed discharges from hospital.
The social care budget has been cut by the equivalent of over £2million a day since 2010, so this announcement simply rolls back cuts over the past four months. This announcement is a headline-grabbing gesture, but in reality it is woefully inadequate to address the long-term funding crisis in social care. Introducing free personal care for all older people in England is not only the best way to tackle this finding crisis, but it would also mean that many older people would get the care packages they need earlier, avoiding the need to go into hospital.
The government needs to face up to its responsibility to millions of older people and their families and put in place provision for free personal care, supported by sustainable funding, that will allow local authorities and providers to put in place a skilled workforce and high-quality services that meet demand for care services now and in the future
