Pressure for action on social care crisis for disabled people

• 20,000 disabled people receive notice of closure of Independent Living Fund
• Judicial Review into Government’s consultation on ILF to be heard in High Court
• MPs and Peers begin inquiry into social care crisis for disabled people
• Scope warns that Government plans for the Independent Living Fund will further exacerbate social care crisis for disabled people

The Government is facing mounting pressure from disabled people, campaigners, MPs and Peers to tackle the social care crisis for disabled people.

This week Secretary of State for Health Jeremy Hunt faces a series of challenges to his view that the Government’s recently announced plans for social care reform give people peace of mind.

As of Monday 11 March, 20,000 disabled people who currently receive financial support to live independently in the community (the Independent Living Fund) will begin to receive letters from the ILF about the closure of the fund. The Government has said that the fund will be devolved to councils.

On Wednesday 13 March a High Court is due to hear a Judicial Review brought by six disabled people about whether the consultation process used by the Government to determine the fund’s closure was lawful.

Vigil to save the ILF

On the same day disabled people will be holding a vigil to save the ILF outside the Royal Courts of Justice.

Also on Wednesday, two influential groups of MPs and Peers, the Local Government All Party Parliamentary Group and The All Party Parliamentary Disability Group will begin to hear evidence from prominent disability campaigners including Jane Young from the We are Spartacus grassroots network and Liz Sayce, CEO of Disability Rights UK, as part of a joint inquiry into the social care crisis for disabled people.

Disabled people represent a third of social care users.

Wednesday’s challenges build on the growing concerns about whether disabled people get the support they need for the basics in life.

Scale of social care crisis

In January five charities lifted the lid on the scale of the crisis revealing that care for disabled people was underfunded by £1.2 billion and that some 40 per cent of disabled people didn’t receive the support they needed to get up, get washed, get dressed and get out.

Then in February the Secretary of State Jeremy Hunt was challenged on the crisis in support for disabled people by the Joint Committee of both Houses, which is scrutinising the Draft Care and Support Bill.

Although he acknowledged the importance of providing support, he refused to say how the Government was going to respond to the issue.

The same month, Jeremy Hunt outlined plans for the introduction of a social care funding cap. But these plans did not address the issue of the chronic under-funding in support for disabled people.

Richard Hawkes, Chief Executive of disability charity Scope, said:

“The Secretary of State says his social plans will give people ‘peace of mind’. But disabled people are increasingly concerned about getting the support they need to live independently.

“20,000 disabled people will lose support for the basics in life when the ILF closes.

“The Government presumes that the shortfall in this care and support will be met by councils but this just isn’t the case.

“Local care and support for disabled people is already underfunded to the tune of £1.2 billion and councils are already struggling to cope.

"Expecting councils to pick up the tab when they are facing the biggest funding cuts in history is an impossible ask. Disabled people will lose out as a result.

“Not getting the support to wash, dress and leave your home is unacceptable.

“The Government needs to invest more in social care to prevent disabled people being condemned to a life without basic dignity and invisible from society.

Jane Young is a consultant and campaigner on disability issues, currently working with the We are Spartacus grassroots network. She will be giving evidence to the Joint APPG. She said:

“Over the last 30 years, the adoption of the principles of self-directed support, alongside adequately funded social care services and the independent living fund, have enabled disabled people to contribute to society as independent, participating, tax-paying citizens.

“The fear now, however, is that the squeeze on local authority budgets and the closure of the independent living fund could take us back to a ‘feed and clean’ culture in which disabled people are forced to lie in bed in incontinence pads and eat sandwiches.

“Through both this inquiry and other activities we must ensure disabled people retain their human right to independent living.”

ENDS

For more information please contact the Scope press office on 020 7619 7200.