The healthcare think tank the Health Foundation has today, Tuesday 23rd January 2024, launched a report urging the next Government to reform funding of the social care system in England as a matter of priority. It sets out a number of options for funding social care, highlighting the urgency now needed to tackle an issue which has been put on hold for decades. The report highlights the increasing reliance on unpaid carers caring for family members and friends and the limited services available to support them.
Helen Walker, chief executive of Carers UK, said:
“If the next Government is truly committed to ensuring quality of life for older and disabled people in England – as well as the five million unpaid carers supporting them - it cannot shy away from the question of social care funding a moment longer.
“Unpaid carers want the next Government to take the bull by the horns and deliver sustainable, long-term investment in social care so that their family can rely on affordable and consistent, good quality care. This will have major benefits for the care sector and wider economy too. Unpaid carers desperately need more care services in place so they can take a break from caring or participate more fully in the labour market; they need support from their local authorities and the NHS to look after their own health while caring, and they need dedicated support to maintain their financial resilience when they are providing many hours of care.”