Right care Right deal: The future of social care

By Paul Cann - 18/06/2008

There is a growing consensus that the social care system is in crisis. Under-funded and misunderstood - the care and support system in the UK has become a distress service, meeting only the needs of the poorest and most debilitated.

The Government has conceded that there is problem, and pledged to make solving it an urgent political priority. May saw the launch of a six month consultation on the future of social care, with a Green Paper promised in Spring 2009. The Care Services Minister, Ivan Lewis, spoke of his desire to 'close the gap' between rhetoric and reality within the field

The Right care Right deal campaign, which combines three of the UK’s largest charities working with older people and their families - Help the Aged, Counsel & Care and Carers UK, has been launched to raise awareness of the crucial need for a radical new approach to our care and support system.

We believe that we must refresh our vision. In trying to deliver better care to individuals whose needs are pressing, society has forgotten the need to deliver a better life for all older people – expanding their opportunities, not just managing their needs.

Our immediate target is the new Equality Bill – this must outlaw ageism. Many social injustices stem from prejudice on this front - be it the failure to offer treatment to older people that younger people are often given access to or the dearth of adequate funding and specialist services available for this age group. Outlawing ageism would force a change in culture that could have a dramatic impact on all public services but especially social care.

Central to achieving real and lasting change is solving the funding problem in social care. If things carry on as they are, England will face a £6 billion pound funding gap by 2030. Already, 3 in 4 local authorities provide support only to those whose needs are deemed "substantial" or "critical", leaving thousands of people with lower levels of need to fend for themselves.

Right care Right deal believes the best way to achieve a fair and sustainable funding settlement is to shift towards the ‘partnership model’, whereby the costs of care are shared between the individual and the state. Greater investment is needed, and the treasury must 'bend its spend' accordingly, but the costs are too great for the state to bear alone.

Solving the funding riddle gives us licence to re-draw the lines of the entire system – raising our aspirations across the board.

 Care users have traditionally been presented with a fait accompli of service provision – this is what’s available, here is what you can have. Right care Right deal believes there is a unique opportunity to usher in a more personalised model of care, where people’s needs come first and a more responsive, tailored approach is the rule, not the exception. This means widespread use of self-assessment and individual budgets, as care users become more actively engaged in designing their own care packages.

Greater funds will also lead to less rationing of services, which must allow a greater focus on preventative care. The system must reach more people, earlier – failure to do so means forcing thousands of older people to struggle alone on a daily basis.

Finally, the current system is confusing and at times too bureaucratic. The new model must have a clarity sorely lacking at the moment, with an easily accessible information and advice service available to all. This will form the bedrock of any new style of care provision, ensuring people are supported to make the right choices for their care, at all times.

Social care is fast rising up the political agenda, with rising awareness of our ageing population’s needs throwing light on an already ailing system. Right care Right deal seeks to ensure that the opportunity to build a lasting revolution in social care is seized, and is working hard to ensure the creation of a personalised, easy to understand and accessible system - with a fair and sustainable funding settlement.

To show your support for outlawing ageism, write to your MP and Prime Minister Gordon Brown and demand that they take action - more information at the first link below.

To join Right care Right deal, please go to the second link below.