We must end the social care crisis

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Social care in this country is broken. 26% fewer people are supported in 2020 than in 2010, and local authority spending on social care has fallen by 49% in real terms despite soaring population and demand. That's why we've launched our, End the Social Care Crisis Conference, Saturday 10 October, 11:00 am - 1:00 pm.

Covid-19, with its appalling death toll among both residents of care homes and care workers, has propelled social care into the headlines, and for good reason, as it has exposed the already existing and ongoing crisis in social care that predates the pandemic. The Government now has no choice but to tackle new proposals for the future. People face isolation, indignity, maltreatment and neglect as well as barriers to inclusion and independent living. Care and support doesn’t reflect users’ needs or wishes. Care is marketised and privatised. Many small providers have folded; care homes are increasingly managed by corporates and hedgefunds that generate massive offshore profits.

Disabled and elderly people who need social care and support face high charges, leaving thousands in poverty. Staff wages, training and conditions are at rock bottom with around a quarter paid at the national living wage of £7.83 ph or less, and 24% on zero-hour contracts. 8 million unpaid, overworked family carers, including children and elderly relatives, provide vital support. Political parties have failed to come up with any comprehensive proposals for social care.

Keep Our NHS Public and Socialist Health Association and others have teamed up to dig deep into the problems facing social care and have come up with a set of demands to end the crisis. To launch our campaign we've called a conference to take the debate to the next level.

The event will be online on Saturday 10 October, from 11:00 am and speakers will include:

John Mc Donnell MP
Jan Shortt NPC President
Stephen Cowan, Leader of London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham
Sandra Daniels and Bob Williams-Findlay, leading disabled rights activists,
Heather Wakefield, former Unison Local Govt. Head & Women’s Budget Group,
Rachel Harrison, GMB Public Services national officer & more tba

Register for the event here

To find out more about our demands and how to get involved keep reading.

Keep Our NHS Public, Socialist Health Alliance and Reclaim Social Care and others have spent the past few months working hard on something called, the National Care, Support and Independent Living Service (NaCSILS).

We believe it is essential, that whatever happens next with social care provision in Britain, these 7 clear demands must be met.

1. National Care Support and Independent Living Service (NaCSILS)
  The Government shall have responsibility for and duty to provide a National Care and Supported Living Service to provide care, independent and supported living, adopting into English Law Articles from the UN Convention on rights of disabled people that establish choice and control, dignity and respect, at the heart of person-centred planning.
2. Fully funded through government investment and progressive taxation, free at the point of need and fully available to everyone living in this country.
3. Publicly provided and publicly accountable:
  The NaCSILS will have overall responsibility for publicly provided residential homes and service providers and, where appropriate, for the supervision of not-for-profit organisations and user-led cooperatives funded through grants allocated by the NaCSILS. A long-term strategy would place an emphasis on de-institutionalisation and community-based independent and supported living. All provision will deliver to NaCSILS national standards. There will be no place for profiteering and the market in social care will be brought to an end.
4. Mandated nationally, locally delivered:
  The Government will be responsible for developing within the principles of co-production, a nationally mandated set of services that will be democratically run, designed, and delivered locally. Local partnerships would be led by stakeholders who are delivering, monitoring, referring to or receiving supported services or budgets, e.g. organisations representing disabled people (DPOs), older people, and people who use mental health and other services, in partnership with local authorities and the NHS.
5. Identify and address needs of informal carers, family and friends providing personal support:
  The NaCSILS will ensure a comprehensive level of support freeing up family members from personal and/or social support tasks so that the needs of those offering informal support, e.g. family and friends, are acknowledged in ways which value each person’s lifestyles, interests, and contributions.
6. National NaCSILS employee strategy fit for purpose:
  The NaCSLS standards for independent and supported living will be underpinned by care and support staff or personal assistants who have appropriate training, qualifications, career structure, pay and conditions to reflect the skills required to provide support services worthy of a decent society.
7. Support the formation of a taskforce on independent and supported living with a meaningful influence, led by those who require independent living support, from all demographic backgrounds and regions. This would also make recommendations to address wider changes in public policy.