The Prime Minister yesterday outlined plans to increase funding for the NHS and adult social care, as well as proposals to limit the cost to individuals with long-term care needs and to improve support for the health and care workforce.
Reform and sustainable funding of the UK’s social care system are long overdue. The BGS welcomes yesterday’s announcement on health and social care from the Prime Minister, including the plans to help the NHS deal with the huge backlog arising from the COVID pandemic. The commitment to state funding, a cap on care costs met by individuals, better support for the social care workforce and better integration between health and social care provision, are positive first steps. These reforms will not, though, be sufficient to solve the chronic underfunding of long-term care or the substantial staffing shortages that undermine current provision. We await the publication of the White Paper in order to understand the detail of proposed reforms to social care. Only then will we get a sense of whether government proposals will make a real and lasting difference to older people.”
