Initially, there were some encouraging green shoots of hope. The Minister of State for Care’s appointment creates the unusual situation of social care policy in England being overseen by a Welsh MP with an internationalist outlook (his wife was a former prime minister of Denmark). His late mother’s experience of dementia will have given him a personal understanding of the nature of care.
Economic potential
The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care’s first major speech cited the NHS and social care as the biggest employers in most parts of our country. They should be ‘engines of economic growth’ he said, ‘giving opportunities in training and work to local people, as well as providing public services’. This is a refreshing contrast to traditional political narratives that frame social care in terms of its demands on the public purse.
It could pave the way to reset our approach to social care reform, emphasising the benefits of social care investment as a vital part of our economic infrastructure. This strongly aligns with the new Chancellor’s pro-growth agenda. But there remains the danger that social care will still be seen as a junior partner, a bed-clearing adjunct to the NHS, rather than an essential public service in its own right.
Manifesto commitments
With every sign that the new Government intends to hit the ground running, what Labour’s manifesto commitments mean in practice will intensify. The promised ‘programme of reform’ to create a National Care Service begs questions about the content and timing of this work. How exactly will it reconcile national standards and entitlements with local delivery, especially given the Prime Minister’s early commitment to power devolution?
The other headline was to establish a ‘Fair pay agreement’, preceded by consultation and learning from abroad. Providers will be interested in how better pay and conditions will be funded given the financial position of many councils and no signs of any immediate bail out. Will the sector’s workforce strategy, launched in July, have a positive influence on this work and is there an opportunity to develop a credible long-term plan?
Busy in-tray
Both pledges look to have a timeframe of years not months. But the new Government’s immediate policy decisions about social care have been discouraging. The Chancellor has abandoned the proposed funding reforms on the grounds of affordability. Confidence was dealt a further blow when the Adult Social Care Training and Development Fund was axed for the same reason. This leaves the Government without any kind of plan – other than high-level talk of a Royal Commission to build
cross-party support for reform.
Hopeful outlook
Despite the challenges that will beset the new administration, new MPs and ministers will bring fresh ideas, experience, energy and commitment. Moreover, whilst the short-term prospects for reform are discouraging, the importance of social care both to the wellbeing of individuals and families and to the economy has never been greater. How this can be translated into a clear priority for the new Government is now the central challenge for champions of social care reform.
Richard Humphries is a Senior Policy Advisor to the Health Foundation.
Email: [email protected]
X: @RichardnotatKF
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