New discussions bring hope for unpaid carers, families and the future of care
Yesterday, Wednesday 29th July, the headlines were about Prime Minister Andy Burnham holding talks on social care reform.
Andy Burnham is the first Prime Minister of our time to make social care one of the main priorities of his new government. He said the system places huge financial pressure on vulnerable people and their families, while also contributing to problems within the NHS because many people end up in hospital when they could be supported through better social care.
A major part of the plan centres on accelerating the work of Baroness Lousie Casey’s independent review of adult social care. The review will gather public views through a national conversation on care and is expected to produce recommendations sooner than originally planned.
“It’s a relief to hear Andy Burnham acknowledge that we can no longer delay social care reform. For a long time, families and unpaid carers in Suffolk have been shouldering the responsibility and financial pressure of looking after family members who rely on them for care, with a depleted social care offer due to the rising costs and the difficulty in recruiting paid carers in some areas.
“The current underfunded system cannot continue and without change I worry that more family carers will be at risk of burnout and carer breakdown. What family carers need are a variety of care options that are free or affordable, including respite care provision so that they can take regular breaks from caring. The idea of a National Care Service, free at the point of delivery, sounds very promising. I look forward to hearing Baroness Casey’s recommendations on overhauling the system and funding the much-needed improvements.”
Mr Burnham has said he wants significant progress before the next election and has described fixing social care as a personal mission, influenced by his family’s experience of caring for his father, who has Alzheimer’s disease.
Members of Carers Trust were also in attendance. Kirsty McHugh, Chief Executive of Carers Trust, said: “Almost all of us are either going to care for a loved one or be cared for in turn but for years we’ve talked about social care as though it’s simply a bill to be paid. Today felt different.
The impact of our catastrophic failure to reform social care on individuals and families was centre stage and there was recognition that supporting families is every bit as valuable as treating illness.
The ‘Big Conversation’ now belongs to all of us. Reform will require investment, but it also requires public backing. We need to move beyond seeing social care as a cost to bear and recognise it as one of the smartest investments we can make.
Our services for unpaid carers around the country see the impacts of a system which doesn’t care. It is in all our interests to create a stronger fairer care system, which not only has the welfare of those receiving care at its heart, but also the needs of the friends and family members who support them.”
It is fantastic news that these talks are happening and we continue to raise awareness of unpaid carers, their needs and build real recognition. We will continue to update family carers, our partners and other interested parties of the developments.
