Keir Starmer is urged to put a cap on social care costs in place immediately after suggesting major health reforms would take a decade
Sir Keir Starmer yesterday failed to commit to a cap on social care costs - and suggested any major reforms would take a decade.
Sir Keir Starmer yesterday failed to commit to a cap on social care costs - and suggested any major reforms would take a decade.
The Prime Minister said fixing social care must be part of a ‘ten year plan’ to build an NHS for the future, but he refused to say how he would change the sector.
Sir Keir was asked about his plans for reform after a major report by Lord Darzi yesterday branded the state of social care ‘dire’.
The review said a growing gap between people’s needs and those getting publicly funded social care in England is placing ‘an increasingly large burden on families and on the NHS’.
Sir Keir was yesterday asked twice by reporters about timings for major reform of social care but declined to give detail, other than repeating Labour’s ‘ambition’ to have a National Care Service.
Sir Keir Starmer said fixing it must be part of a ‘ten year plan’ to build an NHS for the future but refused to say how he would change the sector (pictured in London on Thursday)
The social care sector have repeated calls for urgent reform, saying they could not afford to wait much longer (stock image)
He said he wants such a service to be created ‘as consensually as possible’ and with cross-party involvement.
But when asked to commit to a cap on care costs, Sir Keir said: ‘Promises were again made by the last government.
‘They were delayed because they were undeliverable. We’ve looked at them. We don’t think they are deliverable in the time frame the last government said.
‘That’s why we’ve taken them down and will review it. It is an issue we are going to have to look at, I readily accept that. We will have it within the ten year plan, but again it’s got to be done properly, it’s got to be deliverable.’
In July, Labour effectively ditched plans to introduce an £86,000 cap on the amount anyone in England has to spend on their personal care over their lifetime.
While stating social care was outside the scope of his investigation, Lord Darzi said it is ‘impossible’ to understand the situation in the NHS without understanding how things are in social care.
He said the ‘dire state of social care’ means 13per cent of NHS beds are occupied by people waiting for social care support or care in ‘more appropriate’ settings.
Last night the social care sector repeated calls for urgent reform, saying they could not afford to wait much longer.
Siva Anandaciva, chief analyst at the King’s Fund, a health think tank, said it was ‘encouraging’ to hear the PM confirm the sector will features in the 10-year plan.
But he said: ‘Previous reform plans had been delayed several times before the new administration postponed them indefinitely.
‘As it stands, all we have from ministers is a commitment to develop a plan.. Many of the solutions to “fix” social care already exist. Now what is needed is the political will and investment to enact them.’
Nadra Ahmed, executive co-chair of the National Care Association, said: ‘We cannot continue to allow social care to be undervalued, as this has dire human and economic consequences.
‘It is imperative that social care is resourced and restructured as an integral part of the health service, particularly as our ageing population grows and the prevalence of long-term conditions increases.’
