Commenting on the Local Government Association’s (LGA) report on the future of social care, Morgan Vine, Head of Policy and Influencing at Independent Age, said:
“The LGA’s report shows the urgent and clear need for reform to our social care system – a system which, as it stands, is forcing people who have worked all their lives to face catastrophic care costs.
“Independent Age believes that a system underpinned by a principle of free at the point of use, is both the fairest and most effective way of achieving these reforms. Free personal care would pool the risk for us all as we grow older, and it’s good to see the LGA giving this proposal serious consideration.
“We want older people to receive good quality social care, enabling them to live well in later life. To make this a reality we need a well paid, trained and respected workforce, receiving the same levels of pay to equivalent roles in the NHS.
“The LGA notes that there is not enough funding to maintain the current levels of social care service, which will inevitably increase in future years. Long-term reform is more critical than ever, and we look forward to seeing how the Government plans to address these immediate funding issues in the Budget next week.”