Independent Care Group in North Yorkshire: 'social care reforms need to be more radical'
Chairman Mike Padgham has been speaking after voted to cap the amount people in England pay for social care.
Last updated 23rd Nov 2021
The Chairman of the Independent Care Group in North Yorkshire says the Government's vote on social care reforms is disappointing - and needs to be more radical.
MPs have voted to cap the amount people in England pay for social care - despite critics warning it's not being done fairly.
18 Tories rebelled against the plans, and up to 70 others abstained.
It'll mean no one's costs will go above 86-thousand pounds - but support from councils won't count, meaning those with less money will pay for longer.
Chairman of the Independent Care Group in North Yorkshire, Mike Padgham, said:
"I was disappointed that it passed but was quite heartened by the size of the rebellion from the numbers in the Conservative Party who didn't think it was fair.
"I'm hopeful that when it goes to the House of Lords in a few days time that they'll amend it, send it back and it'll be more fair. I just think it's not a solution to the future and we need to make some changes.
"I believe the amount that people pay will be the same for everybody, but the difference is if your house isn't worth as much in the north as in the south then you're left with far less equity. In a way it's disproportionate, because you haven't got as much wealth left at the end of it.
"Everyone has got a cap at £86,000 - it just needs a change for perhaps those who have got a lot more money. We need to be more radical with the whole form: I'd like to see us move to a system like the NHS where social care is free at the point of need and spread across the country as a whole.
"People deserve a far better social care system than we've got. It'll cost money - whether by taxation or other routes - but it's got to come and it's got to come soon.
"We need to address the terms and conditions over pay with staff. Staff deserve better pay. I have an open invitation to any MP - particularly the Secretary of State and Care Minister - to come and visit us and see what it's like on the frontline.
"We have some constructive solutions. We've got to work together with them. It's not about criticism; it's about working together and seeing how we can tackle this".
The Prime Minister's defending the cap on care costs, saying it'll give people certainty in their old age.
The chair of the Commons health select committee says England's social care plan is a 'big improvement' but not what he'd hoped for.
Jeremy Hunt was among the MPs who abstained in last night's vote on the cap.