I’ve on holiday this week. And as if to join me in the holiday theme, there have been a few kites flown this week on social care reform. A short thread looking at the week so far...

Given the PM said a year ago that he’d fix social care and that he had a plan, I’m “surprised” that a year later we’re still at the kite flying stage.... (Narrator: she’s not really surprised, she is disappointed)

First was a mandatory insurance plan that over 40s would pay into. That’s a viable option & works in other countries. It’s viable with a but. It helps us sort the problem in about 30 years time when today’s 40 yr olds need care. But what about when today’s 68yr old needs care?

Next kite was merging social care into the NHS. I’ve written before about why this is a really really really bad idea. This is a kind of idea that happens if you think social care is care homes for older people. It isn’t it. It’s much more than that. https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/blog/2020/05/social-care-reform-fit-purpose-or-crisis

What’s missing from all the kites is as important as what’s in them. No mention of the type of social care we aspire to, or the quality of care we want to see, or how to support the workforce.

And no mention of how to pay for care for people of working age with care needs. Care for people aged 18-65 is half of all public spending on adult social care. I presume assumption is that working age adults will have tax funded care. But that needs to be confirmed.

And then the wider reform questions on quality become even more important for that age group - what quality will be tax payer fund? Anyhow. Back to the holiday for me