Care in Crisis
Right now the care system is broken.
Our broken care system has been decimated by coronavirus. Successive governments have let down older people and not tackled the problems with social care. This has cost older people their dignity, their safety, and their lives.
This has to change. The care system needs immediate funding and long-term reform.
Tell your MP to fix care for good
We need every single MP to push their leaders to commit to a new care system that we can all rely on. Will you email your MP using our quick and easy form?
We're calling for a new national system that's free and available to everyone when they need it.
What we want
We want to see a care system that:
- joins up health and care services
- increases support for unpaid carers
- has an independent, nationally agreed eligibility and assessment process that enables those in need to access it
- is funded through taxation
- provides support for working age, sick and disabled adults as well as older people
- invests in care workers to ensure high quality care.
The current state of care
A number of issues need to be addressed:
- Underfunding – since 2010 the state has cut its spending on adult social care by £86 million despite a rapidly increasing demand because of our ageing population
- Postcode lottery – despite the 2014 Care Act introducing a national system of eligibility, local variation is still leaving many older people without any support
- Unmet need – 1.5 million people aged 65+ don't receive the care and support they need with essential living activities
- Declining access – cuts in local authority care services have placed increasing pressure on unpaid carers