New Care and Support Alliance Chair speaks out on social care

The Care and Support Alliance, a coalition of 70 different organisations representing older and disabled people’s concerns of the social care system, has elected Richard Hawkes, Chief Executive of disability charity Scope as its new chair and Sue Brown, Head of Public Policy at deafblind charity Sense, as Vice Chair at a crucial juncture in the reform of the social care system.

Richard takes over from Simon Gillespie, who has recently become the Chief Executive of the British Heart Foundation having previously held the same position at the MS Society.

Care and Support Bill

In less than a month, the Government is expected to publish the Care and Support Bill, outlining its final plans for the future of social care in the UK and determining the level of disability at which people will be eligible for state-funded support or be required to self-fund.

Currently the vast majority of councils only provide state-funded support for those judged to have at least “substantial” care needs and have less than £23,250 in savings. The Care and Support Alliance believes that the threshold is set too high and those with needs currently assessed as “moderate” should receive state support.

The eligibility criteria will also determine who is able to benefit from the £72,000 lifetime care costs cap recently announced by the Government.

A month later in June, in the Comprehensive Spending Review, the Government is expected to set out spending priorities for the coming years and will give its first indication of the amount of money it is willing to invest in fixing the social care system.

Recent research has shown that there is a funding gap of over £2 billion in local care, leaving councils no other opportunity but to squeeze the support they are able to provide older and disabled people.

Care and Support Alliance

Care and Support Alliance members are asking supporters to urgently email the Secretary of State of Health Jeremy Hunt through an e-action, asking him to use the spending review to end the spiralling care crisis once and for all.  

A Joint Committee of both houses scrutinising the draft care and support bill has warned the Government’s plans will fail without a greater focus on prevention and integration. The Joint Committee goes as far as to say that they received significant evidence to suggest setting national eligibility at “substantial” was too high.

Councils have been warning that the funding crisis engulfing social care will "bring local government to its knees". 

Richard Hawkes, Chair of the Care and Support Alliance, said:

“In a matter of weeks the Government will be making crucial decisions that will have huge implications on the lives of hundreds of thousands of older and disabled people struggling with their day-to-day lives.

“We urge the Government to listen to MPs, Peers, councils and the thousands of disabled and older people and take the bold but necessary steps it needs to address the chronic funding gap that exists in social care today.

“If the Government is serious about giving disabled and older people a future with dignity it needs to ensure social care support isn’t just available to a lucky few but to the thousands of people who are struggling with their everyday lives.”