Disabled campaigners have reacted with despair and exasperation to the government’s “deeply disappointing” announcement that it is delaying long-term reform of the adult social care system in England.
Instead of announcing immediate plans for long-term reform, health and social care secretary Wes Streeting has opted to set up a commission to examine the future of social care, under former civil servant Baroness [Louise] Casey.
But there were questions as to why he needed to set up a commission when the Fabian Society had already produced a report in June 2023 – at his request – on how to introduce a national care service.
Although the first phase of the new commission will report next year, the second phase, with recommendations for longer-term reform, will not be completed until 2028.
Streeting said the commission would “work to build a national consensus around a new national care service able to meet the needs of older and disabled people into the 21st century”.
Opposition parties have so far reacted positively to his call for the commission to build a “cross-party consensus”.
Streeting also announced an immediate boost of £86 million to funding for the disabled facilities grant scheme – which helps councils fund access improvements to disabled people’s homes – which brings total government spending for 2024-25 to £711 million.
And he said the government would immediately start work on setting new national standards on the best technology in care; allowing care workers to deliver some healthcare activities, such as blood pressure checks; and enabling health and care staff to access real-time social care, GP and hospital data, with joined-up digital systems.
But the overwhelming response from disabled people’s organisations to Streeting’s announcements was one of disappointment and frustration.
Fazilet Hadi, head of policy at Disability Rights UK, who last week was recognised with an MBE for her years of campaigning for justice and rights for disabled people, said Streeting’s announcement was “deeply disappointing to millions of disabled people, young and old, who are currently being denied social care or receiving inadequate care and support”.
She said the four-year timetable for the commission would mean “nothing of significance will happen during this parliament”.
She said: “Acknowledging the moral case for social care having parity with health care, providing it with realistic and stable long-term funding, making it free at the point of use and funding it from general taxation, should be the starting points for a Labour government with a massive parliamentary majority.”
And she highlighted that disabled people and disabled people’s organisations had not been consulted on the government’s plans and “continue to be treated as passive service recipients, whilst the government and media talk to professionals and providers”.
She added: “The immediate actions including more money for disabled facilities grants, a greater focus on technology and improving the care work force, are completely underwhelming and will have little if any impact on a social care service which continues to fail millions of disabled citizens.”
Earlier this year, Disability Law Service (DLS) published research which found that disabled people across England were continuing to face unlawful discrimination and inequality on an “unparalleled” scale because of “unjust” social care charging policies.
Donald O’Neal, an adult social care user for more than 35 years, and author of The Lack of Care Act 2014, said he despaired to hear “yet another government minister announce yet another report into adult social care”.
He said: “We’ve already had so many reports about social care – even one requested by Wes Streeting himself not so long ago.
“We don’t need more reports, we need action, and now.
“There are many people today who don’t get the care they need and others who are forced into debt, because their care charges are very high.
“They need help now, not in 10 years’ time.”
He added: “Adult social care must be put on a par with the NHS.
“We need a national care service that is free at the point of use, funded by general taxation of wealthier people.
“Proper delivery of a national care service would result in ‘need preceding resource’, just as in the NHS, and improve millions of people’s lives.
“Just as Nye Bevan ensured clinicians in the NHS would be free to advocate for their patients as part and parcel of their routine work, so social care’s practitioner workforce would become advocates for their service-users.
“Founded on the same principle, a national care service would be fit to sit alongside the NHS in partnership. One would deliver health and the other wellbeing.”
Jon Abrams, campaigns and justice coordinator for Inclusion London, was equally scathing about the delay.
He said: “Since the royal commission on long-term care, established by Tony Blair’s government in 1997, and the Dilnot commission, established by the coalition government in 2010, we have seen multiple inquiries into social care reform without meaningful change.”
He said it was “deeply disappointing” that Labour had opted for another commission “rather than committing to decisive action”.
He said: “Disabled people don’t need more reports – we need urgent, transformative reform to address the chronic underfunding and systemic failures in social care.”
Caroline Collier, from Inclusion Barnet’s Campaign for Disability Justice, said: “As it stands, there are a few incremental improvements proposed, but overall this looks like another missed opportunity to create a care system fit for the 21st century.”
She said: “We all want to know that support is available when we need it, but that’s not currently the case.
“A commission that will take years to report won’t help those who need support right now.
“We need urgent action to fund and scale existing best practice.
“Around the UK, there are plenty of local examples of innovative, person-centred support allowing people to live independent lives.
“The government should scale up this work, while ensuring that disabled people and our organisations shape and oversee it to create a radically different and better system.”
Professor Peter Beresford, co-chair of the national service-user network Shaping Our Lives, said politicians across the major political parties appeared to be “frightened of doing what’s needed about social care”.
He said: “Why do they treat it in isolation when changed demographics, generating rising numbers of older and disabled people, make clear the need for a radical reconsideration not only of social care, but of the NHS, social care, benefits policy and housing – all together?
“This is not only increasing public distrust of mainstream politicians and keeping the door open to divisive extremism, it ignores the practical proposals we have had for years from disabled people and our organisations for cost-effective social care policy change.”
He also questioned the choice of Baroness Casey to chair the commission.
Two years ago, her review of standards in the Metropolitan police failed to conclude that the force was institutionally disablist, and then refused to explain that decision, despite overwhelming evidence of disablism and her finding that the force was institutionally racist, sexist and homophobic.
Professor Beresford said Baroness Casey had “acted for governments of every colour, without as yet any convincing results, from issues of single homelessness and the discrimination of the Metropolitan police, to so-called troubled families and now the biggest challenge of all”.
He called for disabled people and other service-users to be included as members of the new commission.
Picture: (Clockwise, from top left) Donald O’Neal, Fazilet Hadi, Peter Beresford and Caroline Collier
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