Towards a New Deal for Care and Carers

Key Findings

• Women are bearing the brunt of the care crisis: they are often expected to step in to fill the gap when the state fails to provide care services, are over-represented among low paid care workers, and more likely to be care recipients themselves.
• Complexity of rules and regulations are denying care to many; accessing social care in England appears to be only possible for those who are energetic, patient, competent in negotiating bureaucracy, numerate and determined.
• BAME communities are poorly served by the care system with ‘one size fits all’ approaches, often driven by the pressure to achieve cost-savings when commissioning, failing to meet their specific needs.

Recommendations

1. The establishment of a national care service that provides care free at the point of delivery and has equal standing to the NHS.
2. Greater investment in the social care infrastructure alongside the existing investments in physical infrastructure.
3. Professionalisation and support of the care workforce, which would entail a national policy on recruitment and  training of domiciliary and residential care workers, with a new qualification that bridges the gap between care workers and nurses to deal with increasing complex care needs.
4. Recognition of the work of all unpaid carers and support for them by establishing and promoting a national source of information and guidance for individuals and family members about care, including financial entitlements, availability of different services, and assessments.

Read the full report