Three sentences in Labor’s manifesto in 1945 contained a simple but historic promise: “The best health services should be available to all free of charge. Money should no longer be the passport to the best care. In the new National Health The health service should be a center where people can get the best knowledge that modern hospitals have to offer more and better conditions for our doctors and nurses.
In the three years following Labour’s election victory, Nye Bevan fought off opposition from the Conservatives, the British Medical Association and some of his cabinet members. NHS. For 76 years, it has given free healthcare to survivors of the most desperate, Labor and Conservative administrations.
The idea was inspired by Beveridge’s report, which identified the five giants of laziness, ignorance, disease, squalor and poverty. If the report were to be written today, William Beveridge would certainly add a sixth: necessary cares. The social care system in this country is failing. Despite an aging population, access to publicly funded adult social care has fallen, and a greater number of people are receiving public care in England. down 10% since 2014-15.
This is putting enormous pressure on the NHS. In November, more than 12,400 patients were well enough to leave the hospital but had to stay overnight. One in three of these delays were preventable from being available in the community. There is no solution to the crisis in the NHS that does not include a solution to social care.
By 2050, there will be 4 million more people aged 65+ in England than today. If we do nothing, there are real social care costs almost double the expected from 2018, compared with the 2018 numbers. More people will be left without care and in need, the burdens on the safety of our NHs will be overwhelmed. We cannot afford to pay a heavier and heavier price for failure. Our NHS cannot afford to sustain a heavier burden. We cannot act.
of labor took a lot of flak in the general election campaign to explain our plans for the National Care Service in more detail. I’ve been honest about why – general election campaigns are where social welfare policies go to die. In 2009, when Andy Burnham established a cross-party he speaks they pulled out David Cameron on social care and manipulated every interview to attack Labor in the election campaign. In 2017, it was Work that torpedoed Proposals of St. Teresa of May Then Rishi Sunak defunded Boris Johnson’s cap care costs.
In the past 15 years, there have been many good ideas for this crisis, but a lack of good politics. This government is committed to politics in a different way. Today we are announcing the Independent Commission on Building the National Defense Service. The commission will publish its interim report next year and conclude at the end of the parliament. Previous reviews on various aspects of social care, including Andrew Dilnot’s work the costs of care will be fed into the commission. It’s fair to say you don’t have to start from scratch.
I am glad that Lewis Casey has agreed to chair the committee. He served under Labour, Conservative and Coalition governments. It is a trusted, independent figure that engages all political parties and the public in the process of building a national consensus about what our country needs from social care, and how the National Care Service can best meet our needs.
We have already worked together on the immediate action we can take today to improve social care. According to the commission, the government has also announced that in-year disability relief funding will be provided for 2024-25. This will provide around 7,800 out-of-home adaptations to help disabled people live safely and independently in their own homes.
We are publishing new national standards for people who use care, along with their families and providers, to purchase the latest, most effective assistive technology. We are better at integrating the NHS and social care, with the NHS and local government sharing funding and working together to keep people out of hospital, which is better for patients and less expensive for taxpayers. Provide supervision and assistance to nursing assistants to carry out high-intensity exercise while watching people, including blood pressure checks. Also linking care and medical records, so that the NHS and staff have a full picture of what they need to give the best care to patients.
For care workers, this means taking on new skills and older roles as part of our move to a professional workforce. Like Keir Starmer he said at the conference of the Labor Party, his sister must command the same respect in her office as the employee caring for her as the primary minister for her role.
In line with this action plan, we have established equal pay contracts to help fill 13,000 vacancies in social care. We too provided a rise of £2,300 in the household carer’s allowance, and they invested extra money for social care in the budget. I’ve done a lot in six months, but there’s a hell of a lot to do, and it’s going to be the best.
It will take time, but Casey’s work will finally grasp this nettle and put our country on the road to building a National Defense Service that meets the needs of our generation, guarantees quality to all who need it, and longevity into the future. .