The Campaign for a National Care, Support and Independent Living Service ( NaCSILS) is a unique alliance seeking to bring together disabled and older people, unpaid carers, health campaigners, care and support workers and trade unions to put Social Care in the Spotlight and pursue radical change. Keep Our NHS Public is fully committed to the campaign and Tony O’Sullivan, KONP’s co- chair, chairs the NaCSILS Campaign Steering Group.
We are demanding that care and support should be publicly provided, universally available and free at the point of use as initially intended for the NHS. However we also believe that a change in ownership is not sufficient. Just getting the market out and calling for a national CARE service will not suffice. Current provision is often deeply institutionalised, rooted in a medical model, focused almost entirely on trying to meet people’s basic physical needs and delivered within a protectionist welfare model of “doing to”, where those drawing on services are not regarded as full agents and equal members of society.
We are calling for the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities ( UNCRPD ) to be embedded in UK legislation and for a root and branch re- imagining of what support is provided, working in equal partnership with disabled and older people, families, workers and communities.
We are also joining up with other organisations to resist the current massive attack on the cost of living. Disabled and older people who bore the brunt of Covid, now face a triple onslaught from rising fuel and food costs, declining real income and increased charges for support, as councils try to claw back every penny they can from disabled people’s benefits. This is adding to their impoverishment and increasing exclusion as many people see their support shrink or feel forced to give up vital support in order to sustain ordinary activities, like meeting up with family. Meanwhile about 8 million family carers including 800,000 children struggle to fill the gaps with little or no help at all.
This is NOT RIGHT, NOT SAFE, NOT FAIR !
The local elections on 5th May give us an opportunity to press Local Councils and candidates to do everything in their power to alleviate the situation.
They also provide an opportunity to get our core messages out to a wider audience and encourage more people to take up the fight for free and fair support services, choice and control (independent living), dignity not despair.
PLEASE
- Order our free postcards for your stalls, protest, events over the next month by emailing a delivery address to [email protected] or texting 07419 295754. Share the pdf or jpegs on social media – download pdf download jpg 1 and jpg 2
- Write to councillors and candidates in the local elections using the template letter and briefing doc on the NaCSILS campaign website https// : www.nacils.org.uk and
- Speak up for better pay and conditions for care and support workers as well as NHS staff
- Support the NaCSILS campaign, become a supporter, affiliate your branch or organisation and donate if you can https://nacsils.co.uk/donate-to-nacsils/
