Social Care - An Election Issue

It's a well known fact that the population of Great Britain is getting older -around 34% of the population is over 50 and this is set to rise to 40% by 2026.  This is a huge challenge to all involved in the social care sector as  it is estimated, that over 1.7 million people will require social care.

The National Audit Commissio's report, Under Pressure, published this month is a sobering read on the costs of care for an aging population.  It says that increasing levels of public debt coupled with falling income from taxation  means that the Government will be under pressure to cut public spending. Consequently,  Local Authorities will be under pressure to cut their levels of spending just  as more and more people are going to be requiring care.

The reasons for the increase in care is that age-realted health conditions are on the increase. Older people disagnosed with Dementia, for example,will double over the next 30 years to 1.4 million and the associated costs will treble to over £50 billion a year.

The cost of  future care was debated accross the country last year in a government consultation following the green paper on Shaping the Future of Care Together.  The paper proposed a National Care Service  with three main options for funding future care:  the first is for a partnership of people and the State sharing the cost based on ability to pay, the second is a voluntary insurance scheme and the third is a compulsory payment of £20,000 which can be deferred until after death. 

Paying for social care is a tricky question and none of the major parties in government seeming to want to get to grips with the issues favouring instead sensationalist prouncements such as "free care  for everyone with cancer" or a £20,000 "death tax".   Attempts to find common ground has so far been unsuccessful with all parties blaming each other for the collapse of talks.

With a general election looming the funding of social care will be high on the agenda as it should be.  We should be listening closely to what the main parties are saying about social care and what their propositions are for funding care in the future.  They have all known about the demographic time-bomb for many years and have been reluctant to accept responsibility and make unpalatable decisions.  This issue won't go away - and it affects us all.  Who will give us  the care we need when we grow old? Will they get our vote?

For more information on SureCare Home Care service please go to www.surecarewarks.co.uk