Cross-party consensus on social care funding ‘is achievable’

26 November 2007 | Website team, Caring Choices

Politicians from the three main parties say that cross-party consensus is achievable on reform of the social care funding system. Stephen O’Brien MP, Conservative Shadow Minister for Health, told delegates to the final Caring Choices event, in London on 14 November: ‘There is a large amount of political will at the moment to try and really solve this problem.’

Ivan Lewis, the Labour Minister with responsibility for social care, said it was ‘absolutely crucial’ to achieve political consensus. He encouraged the Opposition parties to engage ‘actively and positively’ in the consultation events and the processes leading up to the recently-announced Green Paper on reform of the funding system for adult care and support in England. One measure of the success of any reform would be that ‘a very wide range of people feel the system is fair’, he added.

Norman Lamb MP, Liberal Democrat Shadow Health Secretary, said consensus ‘ought to be possible’, and that for success any new system would need to be ‘simple, easy to understand’, seen to be fair, as well as empowering people to set their own priorities.

There was near unanimity among delegates on the need for a ‘radical rethink’ in the Green Paper of the funding arrangements for older people’s social care. In line with the other Caring Choices events, there was support from around three-quarters of the delegates for a shift away from the means-tested current system to a ‘co-payment’ funding model, where all dependent older people would receive some support towards their care costs regardless of their income/assets, while also making a private contribution that was affordable for them.

Ivan Lewis said it was important to be ‘very open and honest with people’ about the choices and trade-offs involved in reform. He added: ‘There are no easy choices, there are no soft answers.’

Read the full report from the London event

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There are 5 comments on “Cross-party consensus on social care funding ‘is achievable’”

  1. Miall James says:
    November 27th, 2007 at 8:05 pm

    Another pseudo conference, where the politically acceptable are invited and the “average” carer or reclaimer doesn’t get a look in.

    Why is there a 40 fold difference between NHS in care funding between the most and least generous? Why do Social Services and PCT (and I was one once) staff persistently mislead claimants?
    Why do the editors of publications directed at Social Services and PCT staff persistently refuse to consider papers on this subject?

    Much sound and fury, me thinks, signifying very little!

  2. Tessa Harding says:
    December 5th, 2007 at 8:02 am

    I warmly welcome what appears to be an emerging consensus on the need (at last) to tackle social care funding. The current situation is widely recognised to be both inadequate and unfair and leaves far too many people – both those who need services and those who support them – with little or no help from the social services.

    But it is not just about money. Supporting an older person with dementia and multiple medical conditions is difficult and extremely demanding. Most of us have little or no prior experience or expertise. But if we are not eligible for financial help from Social Services, we get no other help from them either, at least where I live. No visits, no advice, no keeping in touch to see how things are going, no guidance about what services we might access, no information about the causes of difficult or distressing behaviour or access to expertise about how to respond or react, no advice on how to help someone stay happy and occupied…. We have been lucky enough to have had a lot of help from the NHS, from the excellent GP and a number of medical specialists dealing with hearing, diet, eyesight, and various medical conditions, but it is the day to day living, the personal and social care, that presents some of the biggest challenges.

  3. F Pritchard says:
    December 5th, 2007 at 9:01 pm

    Before any proper debate about social care funding can begin there needs to be a full and frank discussion about the fact that many elderly people with various health needs should, under present law be funded for all their care by the NHS, and that this funding is still being systematically denied by many PCTs. It took me five years to get back funds the family should never have paid out. Compel the NHS to meet it’s legal responsibilites first, then look at social care costs, they will be smaller than at present. Next ensure ALL people with health needs get the NHS funding which is theirs by right. Social services cannot fund any person with health needs, (note NOT nursing needs) which are more than “incidental or ancillary to their need for accommodation”.

  4. Roger Hook says:
    December 6th, 2007 at 4:35 pm

    Very little is said about older people with mental health needs – dementia and other mental illneses. If these people were younger and had such needs the NHS would fund their care as a clear health need, but because they are old there is an attitude amongst the health services and NHS staff which says “leave them to Social Services”. Thus the most vulnerable older people end up being the most likely to have to pay for their own care. I very rarely hear any of the “funding gurus” addressing this major issue.

  5. pauline clay says:
    April 28th, 2008 at 6:38 pm

    I have been reading the comments, and have to agree with most, I have had to finish work to care for my husband who also had to finish work 6 years ago when he lost his sight.Although we did have support from NHS and Social Services when this first happened,He is 40 years old now so he was 34 at the time, he has developed Kidney failure and was approached to have his dialysis at home, when he was on CAPD dialysis I did this for him but he has had to be put on Haemodyalsis he must attend Hospital 3 times a week we have to have a specials room especialy for dialysis but as the only room big enough is the garage which needs converting,and have tried everything to try and get some because they say Dialysis is not a disability but without it he would die,if this is not a disability i do not now what is.
    My husband has Diabetes,Registered Blind, and has Renal Failure, if I could do the Dialysis at home after the garage has been converted, it would save a lot of money, i.e not using hospital equipment, nurses, facilities, transport etc shorly by doing it in thecommunity it would benefit us all.
    Thank you