Social Care for the elderly in England

Background

The scale of reductions in spending and provision are almost certainly without precedent in the history of adult social care. Social care provision is a necessity not an option for a civilised society; people lead lives of isolation and misery if their needs for social care are not met.

Change is urgent. If nothing is done, by 2020, the end of this government’s term, there will be an estimated £4.3billion shortfall in social care funding in England.

The majority of care recipients are older women, many living on reduced incomes as a result of having spent their own working lives caring for others. Most of those employed in care are women, as are the majority of those who provide care unpaid for their families. Finding a better way to fund and provide social care is therefore of vital importance to women.

This briefing note outlines the issues and challenges that need to be faced in doing so, outlines a comprehensive solution and suggests some first steps that the new government could take in this direction. Social Care is devolved to national governments and this briefing focuses on social provision in England.

Read and download our full briefing here.