Learning disability charities are calling on the newly elected Labour government to increase funding to end the social care crisis and finally give it the attention it deserves.
Labour won one of the biggest majorities in recent history last week and ended 14 years of Conservative “austerity” measures that saw local councils’ available budgets fall by 29% in real-terms and social care budgets facing a £7,7bn hole over the past decade.
The Liberal Democrats, who campaigned hard on social care reform, also leapt from just eight to 72 seats to become the third largest party at Westminster. They have already started to push Keir Starmer to begin cross-party talks on a new plan for social care, saying the issue was raised repeatedly by voters during their election campaign.
Sir Ed Davey has also repeated his call for an emergency budget to improve health and social care, saying his party would be “the voice of carers”.
Over one million adults draw on social care directly and it was a topic that was repeatedly referred to during the election campaign. Although Labour was vague about it’s plans for social care in its manifesto, the party did commit to undertake a programme of reform to create a National Care Service, underpinned by national standards, delivering consistency of care across the country.
They said that they wanted to deliver services locally, with a principle of ‘home first’ that supports people to live independently for as long as possible and develop local partnership working between the NHS and social care on hospital discharge.
There was also mention of establishing a much-need Fair Pay Agreement in adult social care as well as reviewing the role of social care workers in basic health treatment and monitoring.
The Association of Directors of Adult Social Services says that Labour needs to set out three priorities for adult social care. This is improving the pay, terms and conditions of the social care workforce, improving support to unpaid carers and providing care closer to home.
Mencap also added to the list: changing the outdated Mental Health laws to end institutionalisation, ensuring a benefits system that supports people with a learning disability and tackling healthcare inequalities in plans to improve the NHS.
Jon Sparkes, Mencap chief executive, said: “Listening to and working with people with a learning disability and their families to break down barriers and create opportunity should be high on the new Government’s priority list. For far too long, people with a learning disability have faced significant barriers and inequalities in their everyday lives. These must be addressed head-on.
“People with a learning disability should be at the heart of plans for change. We look forward to working with the Government on these issues and making a real and tangible difference.”
For the Carers Trust, an overhaul of the grossly unfair Carer’s Allowance system would be a vital first step for the Starmer government.
Director of Policy and Public Affairs, Dominic Carter, said: “Sir Keir Starmer’s campaign focused on change and, for the UK’s seven million unpaid carers, change can’t come soon enough. There are 1.5 million people caring for more than 50 hours a week and more than a quarter of carers have been forced into poverty. Meanwhile, one million children, some as young as five, are also having to look after family members. They’re paying a heavy price for a social care system which has fallen into crisis through lack of investment and long-term planning by successive governments. The Prime Minister and his team have to make this a priority.”
The Voluntary Organisations Disability Group (VODG) said that only by prioritising the provision of high-quality support for disabled people of all ages, will we have a fairer society where everyone is able to thrive.”
Chief executive Rhidian Hughes added: “The government faces significant challenges ahead, including putting social care on a surer footing, addressing the cost-of-living crisis, which is disproportionately impacting disabled people, and addressing the national scandal of autistic people and people with a learning disability being detained in long-stay hospitals.”
