Norfolk charity supports calls for "radical redesign" to social care
The Reimagining Care Commission wants a 'National Care Covenant' established
A Norfolk carers charity has praised the Archbishop of Canterbury's call for the social-care system to undergo a "radical redesign".
The Church's 'Reimagining Care Commission' have concluded that a 'National Care Covenant', setting out the rights and responsibilities of national and local government, communities, families, and citizens should be established.
"This will require a means of collective funding"
Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, said such a covenant would be a "step towards" a position where "everyone is engaged in a collaborative effort to ensure that we can all access the care and support we need".
The commission's report is calling on the Government to "set out a long-term commitment to introduce a universal entitlement to care and support" which it stated should be on a par with the NHS.
The report, based on 18 months of listening and engaging with people including unpaid carers, experts and care workers, stated: "This will require a means of collective funding and pooling of risk, probably with a tariff of care charges established on a national basis."
What are the current plans for social care?
In November, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced that social care reforms due to come into effect in October this year would be delayed by two years until 2025.
They include an £86,000 cap on personal care cost contributions, and an expanded means test that is more generous than the existing one.
Last week, the prominent economist who was the architect of the original plans for a care cap branded the state of the social care system "a tragedy".
Sir Andrew Dilnot, who led a review into the future of funding social care under the coalition government, described the current situation as shameful.
The Government said it will publish a plan for adult social care system reform in spring.
What else did the report call for?
In their report, the archbishops were adamant that "piecemeal tinkering with the existing system will not produce the desired result", instead urging "a radical redesign of the system to make it simple, consistent and person-centred".
They acknowledged their recommendations will come at a cost, stating that it "cannot be the work of government alone, nor will it be achieved in one parliament", but added that they deliberately have not set out detail about how to pay for a new system, given that this has been the subject of other reports.
Stating that "social care is everybody's business", the commission said people should be willing to contribute funding through taxes "so that everyone, regardless of income and wealth, can get care and support".
The commission has also called for a new deal for unpaid carers, ensuring they are better valued and supported, with adequate recognition, rest, and recompense, as well as more investment in communities.
It stated that early intervention could be delivered through a universal offer of first-contact help in the community, and care assessments should be simplified, with a budget allocated based on standardised categories of disability similar to countries like Germany and Australia.
The commission added that people should have freedom to "shape" their care and support and be trusted to manage their budget with the support of an independent advocate or decide who would manage it on their behalf.
There must also be a long-term plan to address the recruitment and retention of paid carers, where their skill and contribution "must be valued and given recognition so that social care is regarded as a rewarding career".
The report added: "This has to be accompanied by improved pay, conditions, and training."
The commission, in calling for the challenge of suitable housing to be tackled, recognised the role the Church of England can play in using its assets and investments "to support integrated, community-based housing options".
"This is no time for tinkering around the edges"
Mr Welby said: "This report gives me hope that we can rise to the challenge of fixing our broken social care system."
He said people must "broaden our understanding of care and support as the means by which everyone, regardless of age or ability, can experience abundant life".
Commission chairwoman Dr Anna Dixon said: "This is no time for tinkering around the edges of a social care system that for too long has left people who draw on care and support feeling marginalised, carers feeling exhausted and undervalued, a system which provides no clarity about what is expected of each of us.
"A National Care Covenant, with its focus on the mutual responsibilities, will help us to work together towards our common goal."
"One of the biggest issues causing that shortage is recruitment"
Miriam Martin is the CEO of Caring Together.
She says those in the local sector are facing a range of issues:
"The big one is obviously the Cost of Living crisis. Lots of service before the pandemic are not available, then there's increased pressure on household finances meaning that many of us where their local foodbank is, which is something that is quite new."
"There are a lot of people who have left the social-care sector in favour of other jobs, such as retail, which pays better. When we have a cost of living squeeze, people need to try and maximise their earnings and so will look to move to other industries".
"Lots of unpaid carers have said it's been incredibly difficult to find home care to support them and the other people they are caring for. We experience that ourselves and I think one of the biggest issues causing that shortage is recruitment".
What has the Government said about this?
A Department of Health and Social Care spokeswoman said:
"We are committed to working with a range of stakeholders on how best to improve adult social care and we have made up to £7.5 billion available over the next two years to support services - the biggest funding increase in history.
"The government has made progress on implementing the 10 year vision set out in the People at the Heart of Care white paper, published in 2021.
"This includes boosting workforce capacity, supporting sector digitisation, developing our approach for improving oversight of the adult social care system, and enhancing the collection and use of data.
"In Spring we will publish a plan for adult social care system reform, setting out how we will build on this progress over the next 2 years."