As the NHS turned 70 this week, Sal Brinton looked back at the development of social care policy and outlined the Government’s failings:
… since 2015, the new Conservative Government has dithered and delayed, repeatedly promising that they would sort out the social care funding problem.
We still await the Green Paper promised in the Conservative 2017 Manifesto – with a side skirmish of the Dementia Tax, a form of inverse Dilnot, which so outraged voters it was dropped mid election.
Councils have faced massive cuts to all services, including making £6bn savings in adult social care since 2010. They are still being asked to make more each year at the same time as coping with increased numbers of elderly in their communities. Worse, one of Seebohm’s key pillars, public health, has taken a double hit, with £200m cut in 2015 and a further reduction of £331m proposed.
The numbers are shocking enough, but the reality of reductions in funding is reduction in services to vulnerable adults, increased charges to clients, and distressing waits for people to be discharged from hospital to receive care in their communities.
It is also affecting our NHS minute by minute, hour by hour, day by day.
The recent announcement by the Government to rename the Department of Health into the Department of Health and Social Care on its own will do nothing without the funding.
You can read the whole article here.
* Newshound: bringing you the best Lib Dem commentary published in print or online.