Transforming Care

OpenDemocracy have published a free eBook outlining a new vision for Britain’s economy, including a chapter from Susun Himmelweit on ‘Transforming Care’ (Chapter 5).

New Thinking for the British Economy is available to download for free here.

One of the most significant shortcomings of GDP is its failure to adequately value care. An economy is only able to flourish if there are high quality education, health and care systems (both paid and unpaid ) to produce healthy, well -educated and well -cared for people. As Susan Himmelweit outlines in her chapter, our current care systems are beset by underfunding, low pay and poor working practices and stark gender inequalities. A new approach to care will invest the resources necessary to provide high quality care infrastructure; create good working conditions and professional standards in the care profession; and provide care and other forms of support free at the point of use via a new National Care Service.