Funding alone won’t fix the social care system | Colin Capper | Social Care Network | The Guardian

20/06/2017 Chris Sterry commenting1 Comment

Alzheimer’s Society is investing in three new research centres of excellence that aim to find ways to improve quality of life and care

Source: Funding alone won’t fix the social care system | Colin Capper | Social Care Network | The Guardian

One thought on “Funding alone won’t fix the social care system | Colin Capper | Social Care Network | The Guardian”

61chrissterry says:

20/06/2017 at 4:03 pm

It is good that the Alzheimer’s Society is working in collaboration with people affected by dementia, which I assume includes both persons with dementia and their carers, and NHS trusts, care providers and primary care services, who are developing interventions that are evidenced, cost-effective and scalable. However, there are other elderly with other conditions who also require services from Social Care and dementia could well affect persons who are not considered to be elderly.

Then there are other persons who have conditions other than the elderly who also require services from Social Care Services and these other persons are generally not mentioned when the Government and the media are looking and mentioning Social care provision.

One major group is persons with learning disabilities and/or Autism and their carers who are a major group who certainly need great consideration. This group, unlike many other groups, have their conditions for their whole life and as is the general population, are generally living longer, if not, currently, in the extended ratios of other sectors of the population. But with the benefits available from new and upcoming medical interventions their life spans are certainly expanding.

In these groups there could be many conditions within the learning disability and Autism spectrums that they are affected by and great stress, concern, frustration and anger are created for those with these conditions and certainly their carers.

No one area of the population should be ignored and to reduce costs relating to social care provision is nonsensical as all areas are increasing in numbers and severity.as time goes by.

Not only does real costs need to be maintained but considerably increased. But again all connected, be they public bodies, care providers and other professionals, but also individuals who are requiring care and also their carers need to work together to ensure that the services are all encompassing, effective and meet the needs of everyone.

The Government and other financial bodies need to listen and act accordingly to ensure that care is not only maintained but improved to meet all assessed needs and there is dignity and respect for those requiring care and their carers. Let not the Government forget that if it was not for all the care and attention that is provided by unpaid family carers the system would be far worse than it is currently. Carers UK produced a report in 2015 Valuing Carers 2015 – the rising value of carers’ support, (http://www.carersuk.org/for-professionals/policy/policy-library/valuing-carers-2015), which stated the the saving to the public purse was £132 billion,almost double its value in 2001 (£68 billion), so what would it be today.taking the ratio from 2001 to 2015, 2017 would be, at least over £141 billion.

If every carer in the UK stated, for just one day, that they were not caring the Government would need to find approximately an additional £0.40 billion, just for one day. Who says that carers are not doing what they can for care in the UK. If it was not for family unpaid carers, care would be nonexistent in the UK, as the system is currently ‘not fit for purpose’. But the Government is content with reducing benefits for all concerned, as we have all seen over the last 7 years. The vulnerable become even more vulnerable, where will it end?

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