A week to save social care, ICG warns

The country has a week to save social care and rescue the welfare of our oldest and most vulnerable residents, the Independent Care Group warned today.

The ICG says there is still time for politicians to put forward bold reform plans.

ICG Chair, Mike Padgham said: “We have just seven short days until a new Government is formed and if we are honest, none of the politicians seeking that office have really fired us with a bold, imaginative and credible plan for the way we look after older, vulnerable and disabled people in our communities.

“Our appeal is to the public to make a noise about the neglect of social care at this election and persuade those who want our vote to say more and do more.

“We have waited 30 years for reform and Labour, for example, is warning that it will take at least five years to see meaningful change.

“That is too long. We need to start work straight away, switching resources from the NHS into social care so that we start to meet unmet demand, tackle the delayed discharges that are blocking up NHS care and properly reward the fantastic social care workforce.

“In the long term, proper investment and reform in social care will pay dividends in money saved for the NHS. And as we grow the sector to support the 80% of us who will need social care in our lifetimes, we will contribute more to society and to the economy.”

The ICG is campaigning to make it a General Election for social care and to get the message across that after 30 years of neglect, social care deserves proper, bold, root and branch reform this time round.

In its manifesto, the ICG calls for the creation of a National Care Service, bringing NHS healthcare and social care under one roof, allied to greater investment in the sector and better recognition and reward for the workforce. It wants to see care provided for the 1.6m people who currently can’t access it and dementia treated like other serious conditions like heart disease and cancer with its treatment funded through the NHS.

So far, Labour has promised to introduce fair pay for the workforce, a cap on care costs and, eventually a National Care Service; the Conservatives promised the cap on care costs and better funding for local authorities; the Liberal Democrats have pledged £2 above minimum wage for carers, a Royal College of Care workers and better support for unpaid carers whilst the Greens promised an extra £20bn for social care and Reform promised more funding, but only after a Royal Commission.

Mr Padgham added: “All the main parties have offered something on social care but even taken together, their pledges don’t add up to the reform that is needed.

“Some 80% of us will need care in their lifetime but the sector isn’t ready to meet future demand.  This General Election offers us a once-in-a-generation opportunity to change that – but as a country we have to seize that chance.

“We urge everyone to join our campaign for social care. Challenge the candidates on the doorstep and at the hustings: ‘what are you going to do about the crisis in social care?’

“It isn’t too late to drag some better, bolder, bigger promises from those who will determine social care in the years to come.”

It is estimated that 1.6m people currently can’t get care and the sector is short of 152,000 staff. With rising demand it will need an extra 440,000 staff by 2035.

• The ICG manifesto has been sent to all the main party leaders. It incorporates the ICG’s Five Pillars of Social Care Reform document, which proposes ring-fencing a percentage of GDP for care, creating a National Care Service, setting a minimum carer wage, establishing a task force for reform and creating fair tariffs for services such as care beds and homecare visits.

Read the ICG manifesto here: https://www.independentcaregroup.co.uk/manifesto

Poster care campaign launched

CARE PROVIDERS are being urged to support a campaign to get greater action over social care reform in the General Election.

The Independent Care Group (ICG) has produced posters and badges to go alongside its manifesto for change.

Now it is urging all care providers to display the election material and to press election candidates on how they plan to improve social care.

The provider group’s Chair, Mike Padgham said: “We are reaching a critical time in the run-up to the General Election and all the major parties are desperately seeking our votes.

“We have seen, in the broadest terms, what those parties propose for social care and, whilst there are some ideas coming out, none has really set the world alight with a bold plan.

“We need to step up our campaign to make this a General Election for social care and to get the message across that after 30 years of neglect, social care deserves proper, bold, root and branch reform this time round.

“We would love to see all social care providers, here in York and North Yorkshire but also across the country, spreading the message to politicians and the public that we need to ensure care is tackled after the election and is there when people need it.

“Display the posters and press the candidates on exactly how a vote for them could be a vote for social care.”

So far, Labour has promised to introduce fair pay for the workforce, a cap on care costs and, eventually a National Care Service; the Conservatives promised the cap on care costs and better funding for local authorities; the Liberal Democrats have pledged £2 above minimum wage for carers, a Royal College of Care workers and better support for unpaid carers whilst the Greens promised an extra £20bn for social care and Reform promised more funding, but only after a Royal Commission.

In its manifesto, the ICG calls for the creation of a National Care Service, bringing NHS healthcare and social care under one roof, allied to greater investment in the sector and better recognition and reward for the workforce. It wants to see care provided for the 1.6m people who currently can’t access it and dementia treated like other serious conditions like heart disease and cancer with its treatment funded through the NHS.

The ICG says the Covid-19 pandemic, the cost-of-living crisis and staff shortages followed years of neglect and under-funding by politicians from all parties and combined to leave the sector in deep crisis.

The ICG says 80% of the population will need care in their lifetime but the sector isn’t ready to meet future demand.  1.6m people currently can’t get care and the sector is short of 152,000 staff. With rising demand it will need an extra 440,000 staff by 2035.

• The ICG manifesto has been sent to all the main party leaders. It incorporates the ICG’s Five Pillars of Social Care Reform document, which proposes ring-fencing a percentage of GDP for care, creating a National Care Service, setting a minimum carer wage, establishing a task force for reform and creating fair tariffs for services such as care beds and homecare visits.

Read the ICG manifesto here: https://www.independentcaregroup.co.uk/manifesto

Welcome for Labour social care plan

The Independent Care Group today broadly welcomed proposals for social care reform outlined in Labour’s manifesto for the General Election.

But it has warned that the promises lack detail and an urgent timetable for delivery.

The ICG also says Labour could have been bolder in its reforms and made social care a much higher priority.

In its manifesto, Labour has promised “deep reform” including a National Care Service and ‘home first’ care to keep people living independently. It has also promised greater integration with NHS services and fairer pay, terms and conditions to ‘professionalise’ the workforce.

The ICG has welcomed the outline proposals but said the manifesto lacked detail.

ICG Chair Mike Padgham said: “It is refreshing to see promises in writing from Labour on the reform of social care that we have been calling for over the past three decades.

“That excitement has to be tempered by the fact that the reforms are very much broad promises, with little detail and no timetable for delivery.

“Social care is in crisis now and we would like to see that these reforms will start on day one if Labour is elected. We have heard promises like these before and the challenge now is to see them delivered.

“And we must ensure that funding is properly addressed. Many of the reforms and improvements outlined will need investment. If, for example, Labour promises an increase in care workers’ pay then it has to be accompanied by a promise that local authorities – who commission the bulk of care from providers – will have the funding needed to ensure they pay a rate that enables providers to meet any new pay rate.

“Many, particularly smaller providers, are struggling to meet the latest increase in the national living wage and national minimum wage and without more funding will not be able to meet further rises.”

The ICG has been calling on the major parties to make social care reform a major issue at the General Election.

In its manifesto, the ICG calls for the creation of a National Care Service, bringing NHS healthcare and social care under one roof, allied to greater investment in the sector and better recognition and reward for the workforce. It wants to see care provided for the 1.6m people who currently can’t access it and dementia treated like other serious conditions like heart disease and cancer and its treatment funded through the NHS.

The ICG says the Covid-19 pandemic, the cost-of-living crisis and staff shortages followed years of neglect and under-funding by politicians from all parties and combined to leave the sector in deep crisis.

• The ICG manifesto has been sent to all the main party leaders. It incorporates the ICG’s Five Pillars of Social Care Reform document, which proposes ring-fencing a percentage of GDP for care, creating a National Care Service, setting a minimum carer wage, establishing a task force for reform and creating fair tariffs for services such as care beds and homecare visits.

Read the ICG manifesto here: https://www.independentcaregroup.co.uk/manifesto