Social Care
by Emily Burn, Catherine Needham and Chloe Alexander, University of Birmingham
Conservatives | Labour | Liberal Democrat | Green | Reform | Plaid Cymru |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
‘Of all the manifestos, the Liberal Democrats offered the
most thorough and convincing focus on social care reform.’
Of all the manifestos, the Liberal Democrats offered the most thorough and convincing focus on social care reform. Prior to the launch, the party released a video in which the leader Ed Davey talked about caring for his disabled son. It was a powerful human story in a policy sector which for years has suffered from vague promises, or has focused narrowly on the narrative of older people selling their homes to pay for care.
The Liberal Democrat manifesto included proposals to improve access to care, and a promise of free personal care. They committed to more support to unpaid carers, with education-based support for young carers, and reform of carer’s allowance. They proposed a Royal College of Care Workers and committed to ethical international recruitment.
The Conservatives had little to say about social care in the manifesto beyond the commitment to implement the cap on private care costs. This cap was passed into law in 2022, scheduled for implementation in 2023 and then delayed – so this promise amounts to little more than a follow through on their own unfinished business. It’s also not clear how they would pay for it since the Health and Care levy which was originally going to pay for it was scrapped in 2022. The manifesto offered more cuts to National Insurance rather than increases to pay for this.
The Labour manifesto puts forward a plan for a National Care Service and commits to reform of social care. The needs of different groups are considered through proposals for improving SEND services in education and improving local availability of mental health support. There is also a reference to plans to address workforce problems in social care, alongside those affecting healthcare. However, the plans do not engage directly with unpaid carers or show an understanding of the connections between these different areas for those with care needs and those supporting them. There is limited consideration of how people in economic poverty, people from ethnic minorities and disabled people are experiencing the service gaps, exclusionary approaches and lack of early interventions affecting the social care system.
The Greens’ manifesto outlines several measures to improve the situation of unpaid carers and create a new social care settlement. They propose free personal care for older people and disabled people. They commit to a large investment in care services. Carers should expect an increase in carer’s allowance and, when in work, pay gap protection. Social care services will be improved by a new career structure for paid care workers.
Plaid Cymru promises additional funding for both adults and children’s services. The manifesto includes the aim to explore direct provision of services (reversing decades of outsourcing to the market). Plaid Cymru commits to the development of a National Care Service and also expresses support for the idea of care being free at the point of use. The manifesto acknowledges the importance of the voluntary and community sector to the social care system and intends to support the sustainability and planning of the sector by introducing multi-year funding settlements.
Reform recognises that changes need to be made to the social care system and intends to establish a Royal Commission to inform a national plan. While the complexity of the social care system and the need for increased funding are acknowledged, there are few ideas about the changes needed to lead to better outcomes.
In summary, the majority of manifestos acknowledge the challenges facing the social care system and the need for reform. However, plausible commitments to increase funding are thin on the ground, and without a long-term funding settlement it will be impossible to improve social care outcomes.
The definition of what is a good social care outcome will change from person to person depending on their circumstances. For people drawing on care and support to flourish we need a well-functioning social care system which can ensure fair and timely access to good quality and person-centred support. We need better pay and conditions for paid care workers and much more support for unpaid carers. The legacy of austerity and rising demand has contributed to a vast underfunding in the sector. The funding settlement to local authorities is key, however there are few strong commitments to increase funding to local authorities to support the commissioning of care services. A number of parties commit to multi-year funding settlements which may help the social care sector have more certainty to plan service provision. Nevertheless, there is scant detail as to whether local authorities can expect increased funding to discharge their duties. Promises to increase the living wage will likely have a positive effect on much of the care workforce. However, this will place additional pressure on care providers and local authorities will need to account for this when commissioning services.
Icon credit: Siti Solekah/The Noun Project