THE pandemic has served as a strong excuse for the Government to place social care on the back burner. But with the provider system and local authorities close to collapse, social care can’t wait any longer. Decisive and effective action is long overdue.
This week’s Spending Review settlement of an additional £1 billion will barely keep social care afloat. The Local Government Association estimates that councils need an additional £4.8 billion funding boost for adult social care next year – including £533 million of Covid costs.
Few will have envied the challenge faced by Rishi Sunak this week. Rows continue to rage over foreign aid and public sector pay. Ministers queued outside the Treasury door jostling for pennies from the pandemic-stricken public purse.
The National Health Service was rightly first in line. But its poor cousin, social care, along with the social care work force, and people with social care needs, have once again been left behind.
Despite cross-party agreement that social care funding needs fixing, the Treasury has long been consistent in its reluctance to fund social care properly.
SELF-FUNDERS have been propping up the system for years, selling their homes to pay for overpriced care, charged at higher rates to subsidise local authority funded care.
Continue reading your story on the app
Continue reading your story in the newspaper
J–Lo suffered vile abuse when we dated, says Ben
JENNIFER Lopez’s ex-fiancé Ben Affleck has revealed that she was subjected to horrific racism and sexism from US magazines while they were dating.
Harry heartbroken by rift with family, says friend Bradby
PRINCE Harry has been left “heartbroken” by the situation with his family following his exit from royal life, a close friend claims.
I worry residents will die of loneliness
A CARE home manager said residents would die from fear and loneliness unless loved ones were allowed in.
Kim greets Joe... with a new missile
KIM Jong-un has fired off an early warning to Joe Biden by unveiling “the world’s most powerful weapon”, according to reports in North Korea.
China lied and many died... we must treat it as a pariah state
WHEN a repressive communist superpower threatens our way of life, how should we respond? The answer seems obvious: withdraw the hand of friendship that we had hitherto extended and penalise its repressive behaviour by seeking to turn it into a pariah state.
Siegfried And Roy Magic Star Dies At Age 81
Siegfried and Roy magician Siegfried Fischbacher has died aged 81 after treatment for pancreatic cancer.
Protest As ‘Oyster' Smart Travel Cards For The North Are Derailed In Cutbacks
Passengers in the North are up in arms after planned “smart’ train and bus payment cards were torn up by Government funding cuts.
My Dismay At Cold-Shouldering Jayne After 40 Years, By Chris
They have performed hand in hand for 40 years so no wonder Christopher Dean and Jayne Torvill say it’s surreal being separated by perspex on Dancing On Ice.
Barnier Tariff Threat To UK Over Pesticide That's Used In The EU
Beurocrat Michel Barnier was accused of hypocrisy after threatening to punish the UK for reversing an EU pesticide ban – even though it is used across the bloc.
Fast Track Lets Food Keep On Trucking
Empty supermarket lorries heading to the EU will be fast-tracked during any border disruption in Kent to maintain food supplies.
